


Fleur De Mon Coeur

by SkyKnight07



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Light Angst, Musketeers Beauxbatons, Romance, Slow Burn, Triwizard Tournament, Veela Mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:49:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 87,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27649127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyKnight07/pseuds/SkyKnight07
Summary: Goblet of Fire but in a different year. Fleur Delacour comes to Hogwarts to take part in the Triwizard Tournament not realising that her life is going to change drastically, by the simple presence of Hogwarts' All-Time Smartest Witch, Hermione Granger, who she finds to be her lifelong mate.A/N:1. This is a rewrite of my unfinished original story that I have picked up again after years of inactivity - for anyone who recognises it :). It's being posted both here on AO3 and FF.net2. Timeline is not the same as the books. This was set in 2015, so kinda modern AU.3. No Horcruxes in this story
Relationships: Fleur Delacour/Hermione Granger
Comments: 302
Kudos: 756





	1. Seeing You For The Very First Time...

ᴥ **A/N:** **I’d like to thank my beta readers, LostParkMih and CeMR for being so amazing and helping so much. If you see mistakes, that's cause I probably went in again and added stuff, sorry :P** **Without further ado, here we go!**

ᴥᴥᴥ

**Chapter 1: Seeing You For The Very First Time...**

Hermione yawned as she closed the book on her lap. She was doing some light reading before going to bed. Gently depositing the tome on her bedside table, she sunk deeper under her blanket and sighed in contentment. She was now Head Girl, an amazing achievement if she dared say so. With that came a few perks, she had her own room, with an ensuite bathroom, meaning no more having to listen to the bickering of roommates around her and no more fighting over who gets the bathroom first...bliss!

First year at Hogwarts had been a mess with the Troll and Professor Quirrel being half Voldemort. Second Year had been even worse for her, being petrified and the Basilisk and Chamber of Secret nonsense. How did Dumbledore not know there was a Basilisk roaming his school baffled her. And then, Third Year, Time-Turner, Buckbeak, Dementors and Sirius, the Prisoner of Azkaban, absolutely nuts! What is even crazier was after those years! Fourth year...nothing, fifth year….nothing, SIXTH year, NOTHING! Three years of absolute normalcy, Hermione and Harry had loved it, Ron not so much. Now here they were in the seventh year, year 2014 and their last year at Hogwarts… What chance did they have for getting a normal year and normal graduation? A big one, right? Since it looked like Voldy had crawled back into the hole he had been hiding. Hermione hoped he stayed right there, she had more important things to worry about like her N.E.W.T.S. 

_Except life had other plans…._

ᴥ

A cold wind blew through the grounds, from the direction of the Black Lake. It syphoned the warmth of the cloaked mass of students, huddled together to form some sort of barrier against the arctic air. Yet the freezing wind did not cool down their excitement as their eyes scanned the horizons eagerly for the arrivals of the foreign schools joining them this year, on the event of the most famous Triwizard Tournament. In front of them stood their ever-patient Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, seeming unperturbed by the freezing temperatures.

They watched their Gamekeeper, Hagrid, standing on the plains closest to the Forbidden Forest, some sort of flare in each hand.

"Ah, here comes Durmstrang!" announced Dumbledore, pointing at the lake.

The students turned to find what looked like a small sailboat, with a short mast and only one sail spread out, gliding on the water of the Black Lake.

"It's small," pointed out Ron, flanked by Harry and Hermione. The Gryffindor trio was, as always, grouped amongst their other classmates.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the water around the boat started bubbling and the boat itself rose higher out of the lake. The water started cascading around it like waterfalls, revealing more masts till a full Man-O-War emerged from underneath the Black Lake, much to the astonishment of the students watching. The battleship was square-rigged and its sails at full mast, powering the boat forward through the waters. After the ship had come close enough to land, the students could see anchors being thrown out and a gangplank extended to allow them to disembark. 

"And there is Beauxbatons!" Dumbledore lifted his head to look up into the sky.

"It's a dragon!" shouted one boy, looking at the large object looming above the treetops of the Forbidden Forest.

But it was not. As the object flew closer, the students could start to discern, what was, a very large powder blue and white carriage being drawn by a dozen majestic Abraxan horses. The horses flapped their large wings powerfully, pulling the carriage closer as the Hogwarts students watched in awe. Hagrid started to make weird directional gestures with his flares as the horses went over him to land on the soggy plain, hooves thundering to a stop.

"Wow!" voiced out a few as they watched the horses neigh as they lowered their wings, the carriage coming to a full halt, gleaming in the setting sun that was slowly dipping into the horizon.

"Let's go inside to greet them properly," directed Dumbledore as he turned on his heel to enter the castle. Teachers manoeuvred the overexcited students into the Great Hall.

ᴥ

The Great Hall was buzzing with anticipation. A palpable sense of excitement filled the air. The Hogwarts students were quite eager to meet the foreigners.

A small tap of a wand in the front of the Hall turned all heads to Dumbledore, who had gotten up from his seat to address the students.

"Dear students of Hogwarts. We have the privilege this year to have amongst us, students from two prestigious foreign schools. I would like to announce our newcomers. To honour us with their presence are the Warriors of Durmstrang Institute with their Headmaster, Karkaroff," announced Dumbledore. The massive oak doors swung open and in came, marching into the hall, the Durmstrang Headmaster and his boys dressed in blood-red robes with heavy fur cloaks and military styled trooper hats. In their right hands, their staffs sparked fire at every rhythmically synchronised knock on the floor while in their left arms, they held armour shields that depicted their school crests. A fire phoenix was conjured by one of the students, gliding over their heads before exploding into a ball of fire and sparks in front of Professor Dumbledore with a piercing cry. The Bulgarians stopped in front of the hall as their Headmaster, Karkaroff shook hands with Dumbledore. Hogwarts students clapped and whooped, everyone pinpointing the presence of the seeker of the National Bulgarian Team, Victor Krum amongst the Durmstrang students.

"That's Victor Krum!" gushed Ron at the Gryffindor table, "make space, Hermione!" he said urgently as he pushed the girl to shuffle, watching the Durmstrangs look around for seats. "Too late," he gritted his teeth when the foreigners seated themselves at the Slytherin table. He got even angrier at the face of pure superiority that Draco Malfoy shot at him for having the Bulgarian Seeker at his table.

"And now may I present to you, coming from France, the musketeers of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic with their Headmistress, Madame Maxime!" the voice of Dumbledore boomed into the Great Hall and the gigantic oak doors swung open again, letting in a delegation of girls, their steps echoing around the hall as their knee-high black leather boots hit the floor in sync in their military march. They were paired, walking beside each other.

All were dressed in azure blue jackets with fancy gold and blue puff shoulders and navy blue full-length stretch trousers that ended in their mid-length black boots. Fluttering behind them were midnight blue lined capes, embroidered with a large Beauxbatons school crest. Each girl had a musket, strapped to their backs. Their jackets were secured to their waists by thick dark buckskin belts, each with a silver school crest buckle, which had attached on the side, a rapier each in its scabbard. On their head, they wore Cavalier's hats, adorned with a silvery plume. One of the girls in front was different from the others for she had two rapiers secured on each side of the hips, a golden crest buckle on her belt instead.

All the girls pulled out their rapiers, turned to face their side partners and clanged their weapons together above their heads, creating a tunnel of swords, the scrapping metal creating spark showers.

Then a shot was heard and multiple blue and silver birds shot out of the door, zooming over the Great Hall before bursting into a firework display. All the girls lined up on each side of the path, sheathing their swords and bowing to one knee. Students looked at what had created the sound and eyes widened as they found a huge gigantic woman, dressed in what could be called a larger and more embellished version of what the girls were wearing, for it had a longer jacket, encrusted with gems. Held in her hand was a smoking blunderbuss.

The giant woman holstered her pistol and walked towards Dumbledore, each pair of students standing up and lining up behind the Headmistress as she passed them.

Fleur reigned in the excitement that she felt as soon as she entered the massive hall with the sky reflected onto its ceiling and candles floating all around. With the practised ease of a well-trained athlete, she performed her steps of the entrance number without a problem. As she finished the entrance number in sync with her schoolmates, she felt the weight of hundreds of eyes on her. The Veela in her sure did attract a lot of attention. Dumbledore kissed the hand of her headmistress Madame Maxime, who directed them to sit at the Ravenclaw table.

As she seated herself at the table, her heart lurched as the vision, in front of her, robbed her of all breath. _Mon Dieu!_

ᴥ

"BLIMEY! She's gorgeous!" gasped Ron, his mouth agape.

Hermione, turning her head from the giant woman to face the redhead, wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight in front of her. "Close your mouth, Ron! It's disgusting!" she scolded, throwing a napkin at the boy so he could wipe the drool that was dripping off his chin. Looking back up, she saw the performance to the end and realised, as the Beauxbatons girls seated themselves at the Ravenclaw table that most of the boys were having glazed and drooling faces similar to Ron. Eyeing past Ginny to see which one of the Beauxbatons girls exactly had caught Ron's attention, her eyes met icy blue.

The girl was indeed gorgeous, with long blonde hair tied into a tight ponytail, a fair-skinned face and a pair of icy blue eyes, piercing from under the brim of her plumed hat but something about her rubbed Hermione wrong. Mostly the fact that all the boys were behaving like gits as soon as they saw her. _I mean, yeah she is pretty, but no need to drool!_ She was also largely unhappy because Ron was behaving like the biggest git of all. He had been interested in her for quite a while now but had not made the first step. She was a bit affronted at him being so easily swayed to someone else. Sending a murderous glare to the azure eyes that were still on her, she turned her attention back to the book she had opened in front of her, still keeping an ear on her friends' conversation.

"Oh, why don't make them like that in Hogwarts?" sighed the redhead as he whispered to Harry, "I would have totally asked her out!"

Harry squirmed in his seat, not wanting to get stuck in whatever was happening between his two best friends. 

"Oh, Harry! I can't believe we have Victor Krum in our school for a year!" shouted Ron, elbowing his dark-haired friend in the ribs with eagerness. Harry sighed in relief, happy for the topic change.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either," Harry replied, a little excited about the world-class player himself, which prompted Ron to start his rambling about the Quidditch player.

Looking to where Ron's eyes were currently glued, Hermione saw the Bulgarian Seeker she had seen at the World Cup when she went with the boys. The guy turned and met her gaze with his pitch-black eyes, a weird gleam in them. A shiver ran across Hermione's spine in response. _Creepy…_

ᴥ

Fleur was shaken out of her daze by the glare sent her way. Taking her hat off, she looked behind her, finding the Slytherin table. _Did she glare at me or someone behind me? …Can't be me, she doesn't know me yet._ Pleased with her reasoning, she focused back on the bushy brown hair girl at the Gryffindor table. The more she stared, the more she couldn't believe her eyes. _She iz simply magnificent! Quelle beauté._ The chocolate eyes from the other table met with her own again and she averted her eyes to stare at the wood grain patterns on the table, tracing them gently with her fingers, while blushing bashfully, the pink spreading over her pale cheeks as a sheepish smile broke onto her face.

Alexia Delacour turned to her weirdly behaving cousin sitting next to her. "Qu'est-ce que tu fais, Fleur?" ["What are you doing, Fleur?"]

"Huh? Moi? Rien," ["Huh? Me? Nothing."] replied Fleur as she kept her focus on the wood of the table.

Looking up to where her cousin had been stealing looks at earlier, she saw Harry Potter talking to other Gryffindors, a redhead guy and a brown-haired girl. _Probably his friends._

"Est ce que ce garçon roux te plaît or est ce que c'est 'Arry Potter?" ["Do you like the redhead guy or is it Harry Potter?"] Alexia asked, now amused at the thought.

Fleur's head whipped to her direction so fast, Alexia felt it was going to detach from her neck and fly away. "Mais de quoi est-ce tu parles?! Je ne suis pas intéressée de ces garçons!" ["But what are you talking about?! I'm not interested in those boys!"]

"Hmm…" turning to look back at the Gryffindor table, she found a bushy-haired girl looking at her friend warily. "Alors, est ce que c'est la fille qui te regarde?" ["Then is it the girl who is looking at you?"]

"Elle me regarde?!" ["She is looking at me?!"] She exclaimed, turning to look back at the Gryffindor table and as soon as the chocolate eyes met hers, she blushed hotly and went back to inspecting the wood grain of the table.

Alexia would have laughed outright at the faces her normally stoic cousin was making, it was hilarious! With a highly pleased face, she grasped Fleur's chin and turned her face towards her. "Alors, c'est la brunette!" ["So, it is the brunette!"] Looking at the furiously blushing face in front of her, she patted a flushed cheek before adding "Pas mal, elle est belle!" ["Not bad, she is beautiful!"]

Fleur felt her face warm up even more. She could see her other cousins and classmates who had been listening to the conversation between her and Alexia, giggling, turning to eye the brunette on the other table and congratulating her on her good choice. _Mon Dieu, they are all so insufferable!!_ She huffed but the giggling and whispering around her just intensified.

"If you don't mind me asking," asked an Asian girl with straight jet black hair, sitting on her other side, "what has got you lot laughing like that? Cho Chang, by the way," the girl extended a hand towards her.

"Fleur Delacour" she replied, shaking her hand of the asian girl.

"And Alexia Delacour" replied Alexia as she shook the girl's hand as well. "My cousin ‘ere was wondering who iz ze brunette sitting next to ‘Arry Potter over zhere."

Cho turned to check who Alexia was talking about, "Oh, that is Hermione Granger, one of Harry Potter's best friends and the most brilliant witch of her age at Hogwarts," she explained.

 _'Ermione Granger..._ Fleur's lips quirked into a small smile. It was a beautiful name.

ᴥ

Hermione had been warily watching the blue-eyed blonde who averted her eyes as her cheeks turned red. Then she saw how one of the other Beauxbatons girls started speaking to her and soon enough, she had the other girl's eyes on her. She observed how, as the conversation between the two French girls progressed, the blonde's reddened even more. _Was she getting angry?_ And in a matter of seconds, she was having most of the Beauxbatons students' eyes on her, peeking at her or even blatantly staring while giggling.

 _What in the bloody hell is so funny?!_ She huffed, breaking her gaze from the Ravenclaw table. She turned her attention to Ginny, Ron and Harry as they talked about Quidditch and Victor Krum when the main doors opened and in came Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman. They both walked to settle themselves in two empty chairs next to the headmaster. Interestingly, there was still one empty chair at the teacher's table.

"Now that all our guests are present. I would like to say that Quidditch this year is cancelled,” A roar of disapproval burst through the hall, “instead,” he added, “we will have a knock-out competition between the four Hogwarts’ Quidditch teams joined by the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang teams"

"Oh Harry, there is no way any other team than Durmstrang is winning! They have Victor Krum!" said Ron, thrilled to be getting the chance to see his idol in action at such close range.

Dumbledore continued, “Since there are only six teams, last season’s Champions Gryffindor and runner-up, Ravenclaw qualify immediately for the Semi-Finals. The first match will be Beauxbatons vs Slytherin and then we will have Durmstrang vs Hufflepuff. 

The murmurs of "awesome!", "not fair!" and "Victor Krum" that were erupting from the Hogwarts tables were an indication that a lot of minds were thinking alike. 

Suddenly, the enchanted ceiling changed and lightning flashed around the hall followed by a deafening rumble of thunder. The doors of the Great Hall slammed open and in walked a man, shrouded in a black cloak, a long staff in his hand. All heads in the Great Hall turned towards the stranger as a flash of lightning illuminated his grim face and his long mane of grey hair. He began to limp heavily towards the teachers' table, a dull clunk echoing with his every other step.

A brighter flash of lightning illuminated his heavily scarred face to the horror of the students but what was more frightening about him was his eyes. One of them, beady and dark as coal while the other was round, large and electric blue, erratically moving around without blinking. It rolled from side to side and up and down, its movements quite independent to the normal eye. As he reached Dumbledore, he extended his hand which Dumbledore shook before gesturing him towards the empty seat at the teachers' table. Dumbledore flicked his hand to the enchanted ceiling and the weather cleared.

"May I introduce you to this year's Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," said Dumbledore brightly, "Professor Moody." Hermione shook her head. Even with nothing crazy happening for three years, the Curse of the DADA position was still ongoing. 

"Also," continued Dumbledore, not bothered by the absolute silence that succeeded Moody's entrance, "I would like to formally announce that Hogwarts has been chosen for the honour of hosting and inaugurating the reinsertion of the Triwizard Tournament. It is a legendary event, consisting of three champions being chosen from the three different schools to perform three different tasks. It had been put on hold for the last hundred years due to casualties having occurred during the tasks which are why the Ministry of Magic is keeping a close eye on the event this year to make sure that the difficulty of the tasks are upheld while the safety of students is put above all." Murmurs erupted once again within the student masses.

With a flick of his hand, the cloak that had been hiding an inconspicuous object at the corner of the hall fell, revealing a goblet, holding a blue flame, on a pedestal. "As I said, for the safety of students, there have been changes implemented into the Tournament. I leave Mr Barty Crouch, from the Ministry of Magic to give you more details on the rules and regulations," finished Dumbledore as he went back to his seat and Crouch took his place in front of the assembly of students.

"As Dumbledore said, the Ministry of Magic has added new rules and regulations to the Tournament to make sure of the survivability of students participating. The Triwizard Tournament is a dangerous competition. Anyone willing to participate must be in their seventh year at their respective schools…" The statement was met with a lot of groans from the younger students. "To enter the Tournament, simply write your name on a piece of parchment and feed it to the flames. An age shield ward has been added around the Goblet to ensure that no one under the age limit prescribed can enter the Tournament. Like I said before, this Tournament is a dangerous one and if one is chosen as a Champion to represent his or her school, one is legally and magically bound in a contract to participate in the Tournament, there is no quitting which is why I advise students to think carefully before putting their names into the Goblet of Fire. Thank you," he said before returning to his seat.

"Now that everything has been explained. I wish you a good dinner," said Dumbledore, clapping his hands.

ᴥ

Plates and bowls of food popped onto the table, shocking the foreign students around. Checking the dishes, they were pleased to find that it didn't only consist of English food but also food from their own home country. Soon the hall was filled with the din of cutlery and conversation as everyone started their dinner.

"What is that?" asked Ron, eyeing the pot of 'soup' in front of him warily.

"It is bouillabaisse," responded Hermione, reaching out to her cup of pumpkin juice to take a sip.

"Bless you," replied Ron.

"It's French," said Hermione exasperated, "It's really good. I had it when I was on holiday in France."

"I'll take your word for it," murmured Ron, reaching for his traditional English grub while Harry asked Hermione, "You have been to France?"

"Yes. I went there when I was…"

"Excusez moi?" 

The lilting voice in front of the Trio made them look up. There, in front of them was standing the French girl that everyone was drooling about. _She sure is more beautiful up close,_ thought Hermione.

"Yes, how may we help you?" asked Harry politely. Hermione was pleased to see that he was one of the rare boys who was not salivating over the blonde. Ron, on the other hand, had turned a harsh shade of purple and was already having his mouth contents dribbling all over him.

Shyly, the French blonde continued, "My name iz Fleur Delacour and I wanted to know if you 'ave finished wiz ze Bouillabaisse. Our table seems to 'ave run out," Fleur asked politely with a prominent French accent.

"I am Harry Potter and these are my friends, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley and her brother Ron Weasley," presented Harry smilingly. Ginny gave the blonde a small smile, Ron kept staring with his mouth agape while Hermione folded her arms over her chest and gave a small nod.

"You can have the Bouillabaisse," grumbled Hermione, grabbing the pot and shoving it into the French's hands.

"It was delicious!" commented Ron forcefully.

"Zank you. It waz nice meeting you, Monsieur Potter and Weazley and also Mademoiselle Weazley and Granger," said Fleur, giving a polite bow to the people in front of her with a small smile before turning to return to her table.

"Holy hell! She said my name!" exclaimed Ron with awe as he stared at the blonde, walking away.

"She only said your surname, you daft!" said Ginny, whacking her brother on the head, "and I have the same surname as you" she continued, disgusted by the boy's behaviour.

Soon dinner was over with most of it spent listening to Ron's raving about Krum and Fleur. Hermione and Ginny separated themselves from the redhead to walk back to the Common Room. Harry, on the other hand, was stuck with Ron trying to get a last glance of Fleur as she exited the Great Hall to go back to the Beauxbatons carriage, which also served as the girls' sleeping quarters.

“Sorry for my brother,” said Ginny as they entered the Common Room. 

“You don’t have to apologise for your brother being a prat, Ginny,” Hermione replied as she walked to the portrait within the Common Room that gave her direct access to her private Head Girl Room. 

“I feel like I have to,” shrugged the redhead, “let’s go to bed before we have to deal with him again.”

Hermione laughed and hugged the redhead goodnight before disappearing behind the portrait. 

ᴥ

Settling in her bed, under her covers, Fleur relished the warmth. The walk back to the carriage had been unpleasant because the weather in England was mostly cold at this time of the year, something the students of Beauxbatons hadn't taken into consideration when they wore their uniforms. Their uniforms, adapted to the weather they had at Beauxbatons which was situated in the warmer region of France, were thin and not made to brave the cold of England. Guess she will have to wear more layers underneath her uniform from now on and a thick cloak instead of the usual cape. Thankfully she didn't have to change from her usual sleepwear of tank top and shorts to thicker pyjamas as fireplaces had popped in all bedrooms.

She had just bid her younger sister, Gabrielle, goodnight. The younger blonde was like a mischievous smaller copy of her with lighter silver-blonde hair but darker blue eyes. Gabrielle had been sitting at the other end of the Beauxbatons students talking shyly to one senior girl she admired but had managed to hear the gossip about the bushy brown haired girl that Fleur had started to fancy at first sight and had wanted details as soon as they had exited the castle. Fleur had managed to calm the excitement of her sister, telling her that she was tired and would explain later. She didn't even know what was it all about herself, how could she explain it to her sibling?

Burrowing deeper into her blanket, Fleur's mind went back to the Gryffindor with the most beautiful chocolate eyes she had ever seen. _'Ermione Granger…_ The name sent a chill through her spine and she shivered. The name was beautiful and suited the beautiful girl. The Veela didn't know what exactly she was feeling. Throughout her childhood, her grandmother and mother had explained to her about the ways of the Veela and a lot about how Veela had one mate that they would love for their whole life and that she would know as soon as she saw the person, who would be unaffected by her thrall. Her feelings have been jumbled since she set her eyes on the Gryffindor girl. She wasn't sure if the girl was unaffected by her thrall for there were different types of behaviours that her thrall triggered in people. The glazed eye awe and lust that affected both boys and girls but also the deep-seated jealousy and envy that affected mostly girls that she was unfamiliar with. As soon as she became friends with someone, the effects of the thrall would diminish onto the person. Some people were only mildly affected by her thrall like Harry Potter, who had blushed a little bit when she had talked to him but that was it, same for Ginny Weasley which her Maman had explained was most probably due to those people already liking someone else. Some were not affected at all, other Veela and their mates in that category.

Hermione's behaviour, on the other side, had been different. Fleur hadn't felt any envy or jealousy from the girl yet she couldn't determine why the girl had glared and been abrupt with her. She had been hurt by the behaviour of the girl but had managed to hide it behind a small smile. Fleur felt a little flower of fear budding inside her. Fear that the brown-haired girl just simply didn't like her. She knew what her heart was telling her but she was having trouble wrapping her mind around it. _Could it be…? Have I found my one…? I wish grand-mère and Maman were here… I should maybe write to them soon._ Sighing, she closed her eyes, trying to will herself to sleep. With one last thought in her mind, she drifted to sleep, _'Ermione..._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment and share your thoughts! I'd appreciate it a lot, it helps keep me writing :) ~ Sky


	2. Love Hurts…

**Love Hurts…**

The next week was spent fairly quiet for Fleur, feeling a bit better now that she had added a few layers to her usual uniform, no longer wearing the hat and weaponry as it is only used for ceremonies and such. The only excitement of the week was the eagerness permeating in the air as students from the three schools dropped their names into the Goblet. She had seen the redhead, Ron, do it while a very displeased Hermione looked on. ' _ I wonder why she looks so annoyed',  _ Fleur contemplated.

Harry, on the other side, had just shaken his head when Ron had told him to put his name as well. He believed he had had enough brushes with death as it is. ' _ No need to go looking for trouble now.' _ He mused. The previous years had been peaceful and he wanted to keep it that way. 

Fleur had kept stealing glances at the Gryffindor table during breakfast, lunch and dinner time. Her sister, having decided to sit with her as from now, was asking tons of questions that she didn't have answers to. She had written letters to her grand-mère and maman as soon as she could and had entrusted her female gyrfalcon, Artemis, with the mail. She desperately needed answers. She had also observed the girl and saw that she spent a lot of time in the Hogwarts' library. That explained why she was currently sitting in the said library, hiding behind a book, surreptitiously watching the brunette engrossed in a thick tome at a table in a corner, somewhat secluded by a few bookcases.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered all the courage she could find in every cell of her body and stood up, walking to the brunette, briefly noticing Krum, from the corner of her eyes, who was standing behind one of the bookcases.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle Granger. It iz a pleazure to see you again," said Fleur, giving her a smile.

Hermione looked up from her book when the accented voice reached her ears. Frowning lightly, she curtly replied, "Hello, Miss Delacour," before concentrating back at her book.

"Ah, please call me Fleur. May I sit 'ere?" asked Fleur, clasping her hands together to stop herself from fidgeting.

Looking back at the blonde, Hermione tried her best not to roll her eyes. She just nodded before going back again to her reading.

Fleur was feeling quite uncomfortable with the way the girl was dismissing her but she persevered. Seating herself onto the bench facing the girl, "What iz it that you are reading, Mademoiselle Granger?" she asked conversationally. She wanted so badly for Hermione to talk to her.

"Advanced Charms, Tome Ten by Neil Alderwidge" muttered Hermione, "and you can call me Hermione." Hearing Mademoiselle Granger was raking onto her nerves.  _ Can't she see she is disturbing me?  _ Her frown deepened.

"'Ermione" voiced Fleur for the first time. She had known the name since the first day but never used it to address Hermione but now she loved the way it tasted in her mouth, "Izn't zat a lot more advanced. I hear zhey use zis book for Charms Mastery?"

Lifting her head, Hermione was about to go into a rant about the fact that she was knowledgeable enough to read it when she saw the sincere curiosity in the cerulean eyes in front of her. "I have already read it a lot of times and learnt quite a few spells from it. I have an interest in all things and this is the highest level tome I could find. I have already read everything else."

Amazed by the intelligence and the skill of the Gryffindor, Fleur could only stare. She loved magic in general and was quite an avid learner of anything she could get her hands on. She had already read the book herself. The spells in it were complicated and here there was a girl, similar to her, trying to master it all. "I am very impressed, 'Ermione! Ze spells in it are very difficult."

"You have read it?" Hermione asked, sceptically.

"Ah, I am ze same as you. I 'ave a similar thirst of knowledge and ze book is a fascinating read. I am still debating if I want to do a Mastery zhough and if so, in what..." explained Fleur, happy that they had something in common.

Hermione nodded, impressed by the admission of the blonde. She had rarely met people who read material so above their year. Most people didn’t want to pursue masteries but still, that was not enough for her to stop feeling the dislike she had for the blonde.

Seeing that the girl had gone silent, Fleur felt like the discussion was dying. Searching her brain for something to say she came up with, "'Ave you 'eared about ze book 'Ultimate Charms' by Anaquinn Dyagronn?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Hermione surprised at the mention, "that is the most amazing book for Charms, very well acclaimed. Anaquinn Dyagronn is one of the greatest Mistress of Charms to be known! There are only a few copies of the book!" she said, "I have looked for it but they don't have it here in Hogwarts" she sighed, shoulder drooping, "I even tried to find one to buy but there is no copy on the market" she said dejectedly.

"Ah, it iz indeed a rare book..." answered Fleur, smiling at the idea that popped into her head. She was about to say something else when the bell rang, announcing the start of the next period.

"Fleur, I have to go to my next class. It was nice talking to you," lied Hermione, trying to keep face neutral as she packed her stuff. Fleur didn't notice.

"Allow me to walk you zhere, 'Ermione. After all, we 'ave ze same class," replied Fleur happily.

Hermione inwardly sighed. How could she forget?! She shared so many classes with the Ravenclaws this year and now with Beauxbatons. It had been a relief to learn that she would not have to share those classes with the Slytherins this year (she still had a few classes with them) but now she wasn't so sure it was a good thing.

Dinner that evening had been fairly pleasant. Fleur, being in a good mood, had taken the courage to try some of the English dishes available on the Ravenclaw table, smiling at the Gryffindor table each time her eyes would meet chocolate brown.

ᴥ

The next day, Fleur knew, from her observations last week, in which period she would be able to find the brunette in the library. She had just finished Transfiguration class. She had observed the Gryffindor seated way in front with her friends throughout class. She didn't get the chance to approach the brunette after class, which was why she was currently walking in the hallways to the library. She could not stop smiling, thinking about the package she had in her bag.

No sooner had she walked into the place that she saw the bushy brown-haired girl at her same table, writing on a piece of parchment accompanied by Harry Potter. Fleur didn't let that deter her approach. She walked towards the table, remarking Krum sitting a few tables away. She frowned slightly at his presence. 

"Bonjour Monsieur Potter. Bonjour 'Ermione" she greeted the table's occupants with a smile.

"Hello, Miss Delacour" smiled Harry. Hermione looked up from her work with a grimace.

"Oh please call me Fleur"

"Then call me Harry," replied Harry.

"Ok 'Arry. What are you two doing?" she asked, interestedly peering in the parchments scattered on the table.

"We are writing our essay for Potions," grumbled Hermione, getting annoyed at the interruption of the French girl.

"Ah, I 'ope it iz going well. 'Ermione, I 'ave somezing…," started Fleur as she rummaged through her bag.

"No, it is not going well" Hermione cut her off, "As you can see, you are disturbing us." She pointed out irritably.

Harry looked at his best friend in shock. He could not believe the way the brunette was speaking. He had never seen her be so rude to someone, for what looked like nothing before.

"Oh…" Hurt flashed into the cerulean eyes, "I am sorry. I shall leave you to your work," apologised Fleur softly, bowing before turning to leave.

She then remembered again the package inside her bag. Taking it out, she turned back to the brunette, who was already back to writing on her parchment, "I just 'ave to give you…"

"Lord! Didn't I just tell you to stop disturbing me!?" shouted Hermione, eyes blazing with anger, pissed that the French couldn't get a hint that she didn't want her presence around her.

Fleur froze. Her heart constricted sharply with pain and her eyes prickled. She blinked to keep her emotions within. 

Harry froze stunned, eyes wide, aghast by Hermione's behaviour.

"I...I am…so..sorry," whispered Fleur, "I just…wanted…" taking a deep breath, she exhaled and composed herself before finishing, "for you to 'ave zis." Placing the package gently onto the table, the blonde briskly walked out of the library.

Hermione sat staring at the exit Fleur had made before looking at the package in front of her. It was rectangular, wrapped in light blue paper with a silver bow on top. A present.

"What's gotten into you? That was really harsh, Hermione," said Harry, baffled at his friend's behaviour.

"Uh…" Hermione was speechless, her eyes still locked on the package. She wasn't sure. It was like a rage had welled up inside her at the presence of the blonde. She hadn't been able to control it.

Checking the time, Harry said, "It is time for my Quidditch practice. I need to go." He said as he started shoving his things into his bag. "Uhm, I'll see you later at dinner, Hermione," he said, not knowing what else he could say. Hermione just nodded silently and with that, Harry left the library to go to the Quidditch pitch.

Hermione kept staring at the gift on the table for a few minutes before she took the courage to take it into her hands, it was thick and heavy. She saw a card tapped to it. Opening it, it read:

_ I hope you enjoy it. It is yours now. _

_ ~ Fleur _

Carefully tugging at the bow and unwrapping the paper, she inhaled sharply at seeing what she held in her hands. It was a green leather hardcover tome, reading ' _ Ultimate Charms - Anaquinn Dyagronn _ '. It looked like a well-loved book. The pages were yellowed and the corners looked used as if someone had turned those pages countless times. Opening it, her eyes opened wide at the words, ' _ First Edition' _ . In her hand, she held a priceless book. There were only a few copies left of this book and they were rare and expensive. A first edition was rarer than rare. Her hands tightened onto the book, heart filled up with guilt at the way she had just treated the Beauxbatons student. Turning one more page, she gasped inwardly the words written there:

_ Ce livre appartient à Fleur Delacour. N'y toucher pas! :) _

_ [This book belongs to Fleur Delacour. Do not touch it! :) ] _

The words were obviously French written in a slightly childish scrawl indicating that the book had been Fleur's for a while. The ink was a bit faded with a childish smiley doodle at the end.

Underneath it was written:

_ This book now belongs to Hermione Granger. :D _

The new English words were fresh, the ink sharp and bold against the old page, written in elegant cursive penmanship and the smiley was funny, a lot better drawn than the last one.

The guilt that descended on her heart nearly suffocated her. She couldn't believe how she had treated the girl. Fleur had done nothing to her and had been polite and kind each time and yet she had let an unfounded dislike creep into her heart and had hurt the girl badly. Tears dripped down her face and she hastily wiped them so as not to wet the precious book. Nobody had ever gifted her something so priceless before. It wasn't the price or the rarity of the item that moved her. It was the fact that she had been gifted a book that was very well-loved by its previous owner. She knew how hard it was to part from a favourite book and for Fleur to have done it so easily for her, despite not knowing her well… She couldn't imagine… Reverently closing the book, she slid it gently into her bag and decided to pack to go find the blonde to apologise profusely.

ᴥ

After walking away from the library, Fleur found herself sitting close to the lake that was on the Hogwarts' ground, far from where the Durmstrang ship was anchored. The ground was cold and wet and there was a chilly wind blowing but she didn't care. The water from the ground was seeping into her clothes while her cloak gave little protection against the harsh wind. The mind was telling her that she was supposed to be feeling cold but yet she felt none of it. All she could feel was acute pain and it was all centred in her heart.

The wind was whipping her hair and wiping her silent tears harshly from her face. It was getting darker as dinner time approached but she saw no difference as her tears blurred her vision. She felt like she no longer needed answers from her mother and grandmother because the searing pain in her chest finally clued her in.

_ My mate...I love her…and she hates me.  _ The thought itself was nearly too painful to bear.

She sat there for hours, skipping dinner and even waiting till all of Beauxbatons had already gone back to the carriage and into their rooms before she slipped inside her room silently, spending the rest of the night in soundless tears. Sleep eluded her.

ᴥ

Hermione had looked everywhere. She had even asked a few of the Beauxbatons students she had come across while running in the hallways if they had seen Fleur but no one had seen the elusive French blonde. She had thought, after searching to no avail, that she would see the girl at dinner time and had even formulated a plan on how to approach and apologise to the girl but yet, no sign of Fleur as she sat at the Gryffindor table.

Dinner had been a quiet affair, with Harry not prompting her for a conversation for fear of her bursting into another rage and reacting the same way she had done with Fleur earlier while Hermione just tuned out Ron. Pushing her food around on her plate, Hermione excused herself early to go back to her room, she wasn't feeling hungry anyway.

As she changed and climbed into her bed, she closed the curtains around the four-poster bed. Her stomach was upset, her heart was upset. She was feeling so guilty to have treated Fleur so badly. She didn't even know why she did it. She even felt bad that Fleur had skipped dinner which, she was sure, was because of her.  _ Do they have food in their carriage? Did she go to sleep on an empty stomach..? I hurt her…  _

The thoughts didn't help and kept on adding onto her conscience. That night, Hermione didn't sleep.

ᴥ

The next morning, Fleur knew that she couldn't skip breakfast as all the Beauxbatons girls gathered in front of the carriage with Madame Maxime to go to the castle for food. Taking a shower and changing into a clean uniform, she checked herself into the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Everyone would ask what happened.

Sure, they all asked, even the headmistress and she came up with the excuse that she was probably coming down with a cold from the harsh weather in England. They all bought the excuse, except Alexia, Gabrielle and the rest of her flock who were looking at her with concerned and questioning eyes but Fleur didn't want to talk about it and they didn't press.

Sitting at the Ravenclaw table, more questions were asked by her new Ravenclaw friends and she fed them the same story. Breakfast had already been laid onto the table but she didn't feel hungry. She did have to eat though due to the forcing from Gabrielle and Alexia who were seated beside her, flanking her and making sure she was eating.

For the whole of the meal, she didn't look at the Gryffindor table at all. She just couldn't. She had used all her courage yesterday and the day before to approach the brunette and the outcome had sucked all wind from her sails. She felt bone-weary. Rubbing her temple, she tried to shake out the fogginess in her head.

ᴥ

At the Gryffindor table, Hermione was faring no better with her breakfast. She had nibbled a little bit on her eggs but had stopped when she felt them settle heavily in her stomach. She had been staring at the blonde the whole time and yet the blonde hadn't looked at her even once. For every meal that they had attended in the Great Hall, the blonde had at least glanced at her once and smiled, even if Hermione hadn't returned the smile. Today, there was nothing, not a glance, not a smile, absolutely nothing. She could still see from where she was, the puffy and bloodshot eyes along with the slumped shoulders. She hated herself because she knew she was the cause of it. She was observing how the tall darker blonde girl next to Fleur was urging her to eat while a smaller copy of Fleur was putting more food onto Fleur's plate. Hermione wanted to go and apologise but she now felt cowardly, having lost all her courage not wanting to do it in front of everyone.

She looked on as the blonde pushed her plate away and argued with the two girls beside her. The blonde then took out a piece of parchment and a quill and scribbled something.

As the tables were cleared, Hermione urged her friends to go to class, claiming she would be following them shortly. She hoped that she could catch Fleur with a smaller entourage and surprisingly enough, the blonde stood up and walked in the opposite direction to her friends. Zigzagging through the current of students that were going against her, Hermione followed Fleur but stopped when she realised that the blonde had stopped in front of the Goblet of Fire and was watching it intently. Her breath caught in her throat and suddenly, Hermione felt a wave of dizziness crash into her body.

She watched as the blonde lifted the piece of parchment she had scribbled on earlier, closer to the blue flames and Hermione wanted to scream!  _ NO! _ Yet the word caught inside her throat, lodging there permanently as she watched, with unexplained horror, the blue flames lick the blonde's fingers and swallow the parchment.

After the tournament had been announced, Hermione had gone into the library to do some research on the competition and had found horrible things. She didn't get how people could think of such a barbaric event as legendary and decide to revive it again. People had died! Ron had been so excited to put his name in the Goblet. She had pleaded Ron not to. Why play with death? Hadn't they barely escaped it so many times since they came to Hogwarts? But the redhead hadn't listened and she had watched helplessly as the blue flames ate up his name. She feared for him but yet the fear that she had felt for one of her best friends felt like nothing compared to the unexpected terror that gripped her heart as she watched Fleur enter her name into the Goblet of Fire.  _ What is happening to me?  _ The dizziness gripped her and the hall started swaying around her. Trying to keep her balance, she didn't feel her bag slip off her shoulder nor did she hear the sound of it hitting the floor. All she felt was herself falling as darkness crept into her vision, something warm wrapping itself around her waist and neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment and share your thoughts! I'd appreciate it a lot, it helps keep me writing :) ~ Sky


	3. Friends and Family

**... Friends and Family...**

Fleur had turned when she heard a thud behind her but she had never expected to see the brunette she was so fond of, swaying before collapsing. Thank god, she was athletic and had reacted fast enough to catch the falling girl or Hermione could have cracked her head on the hard stone floor. With panic, heart thudding inside her chest, she lifted the girl into her arms and ran through the hallways to the Hospital Wing. She had been luckily given a tour of the most important parts of the castle by Cho recently. 

Madam Pomfrey had come to help her as soon as she had burst, frantic, into the infirmary, depositing Hermione gently onto a bed. After Fleur explained everything while Madam Pomfrey did a diagnostic spell, the Head Nurse told her that Hermione had just fainted and that it was not serious. Calming her racing heartbeats, Fleur thanked the nurse and turned to examine the unconscious girl on the bed. She wanted to stay by Hermione's side till she woke up, everything in her was demanding for it but she knew she couldn't… she had classes and even if she skipped them, Hermione wouldn't take kindly to having her there. _She hates me, remember?_

Looking at the peaceful face of the brunette, her bushy chestnut hair splayed onto the white pillow she was resting on, Fleur felt the intense love surge in her heart. This girl was her mate… someone she already loved more than anything yet someone who didn't love her at all, barely even tolerated her presence… maybe even outright hated her. She felt like there were oceans of distance between them, threatening to never allow their bond to form and the fact was hard to swallow. It felt like something was permanently lodged in her throat. Blinking to clear her misting eyes, Fleur leaned forward and cupped the Gryffindor's cheek in her hand, stroking the supple and slightly rosy skin with her thumb before tucking an errant lock of brown hair behind a cute pink ear in which she whispered, "Je t'aime, mon amour". Bending down, she deposited a soft kiss onto the soft cheek in front of her, one tear escaping her eyelid and rolling off her nose before plopping itself gently on Hermione's soft skin. Wiping it gently with her fingers, she deposited another kiss on the girl's forehead before painfully tearing herself from the brunette and walking out of the place, not looking back.

ᴥ

When Hermione came back to consciousness, she felt disoriented. It took her a few seconds to realise she was in the Infirmary, the smells of different kinds of potions assaulting her nostrils. Madam Pomfrey, seeing her charge awake, came to check on her.

"How are you feeling, child?" queried the Head Nurse.

"Uhm, I'm feeling a bit confused, what happened?" asked Hermione, she had no recollection of what had transpired.

"You fell unconscious in the Great Hall, my girl. Luckily, Miss Delacour caught you before you could hurt yourself and carried you here. I have checked you and there is nothing wrong so it might be just a simple case of fatigue, stress or not eating properly." Hermione nodded at that, "I suggest you take it easy for the rest of the day. You have been excused from today's classes, ok?" Madam Pomfrey informed, patting the girl on the knee.

Hermione nodded again before swinging her feet off the bed and stepping down. She sat on a nearby chair, putting on her black shoes and tying her laces.

"Here, you dropped your bag in the halls and one of the elves brought it back," said the Nurse, handing a brown leather bag over to the girl.

Securing her bag strap over her shoulder, Hermione thanked the nurse before walking back to her common room. It didn't take long for her to get to the Gryffindor tower. The hallways were clear due to classes still going on. When she arrived in front of the Portrait, she quickly gave the password and walked to her room.

The silence of her room greeted her. The room was small yet cosy, with knick-knacks placed around. She had the muggle pictures of her and her parents along with some wizard pictures of her with her friends hung onto the wall. A large dark wood wardrobe was propped against the side wall with a large bookcase next to it, almost bursting with books. Then, there was her bedside table beside her bed and also her chest, sitting at the foot of her four-post bed. The bed itself was in Gryffindor colours, with the curtains, sheets, blanket and pillows all in crimson with gold trim.

Rummaging through the chest, she pulled out her silky dark blue PJs with stars on them that her parents had gifted her when she had gone back home for the holidays. Changing into them, Hermione climbed into her bed, pulling her blanket up to her chin and tried to remember what happened.

 _I was in the hall…Oh, trying to reach Fleur and… OH NO!_ Hermione jerked upright at that, _She had entered her name into the Goblet and I had felt such a bad feeling!_ She ran her hand in her unruly hair, confused as to why she had felt that way, _Why? I don't understand why. Madam Pomfrey said she caught me in my fall and carried me to the Infirmary…_ The realisation that she had been carried in the arms of the blonde, probably in front of so many people, made her face heat up a little bit. _She must be strong to carry me so easily or maybe she just used a featherlight charm._

Settling herself against her headboard, Hermione grabbed one of her crimson pillows and hugged it to her chest. She thought back at her outburst in the library. She had disliked the blonde since the start, for no reason… _Or was it even dislike? I just felt strange around her and didn't know why..._ She didn't know why she had gotten angry with the blonde. Normally she gets really happy when someone gets interested in her work. The blonde had just asked more about what she had been writing. She would have gotten into a long explanation about the intricacies of her potion, had it been someone else.

The outburst had been so out of character. She had just lashed out without any provocation or anything. She felt ashamed of herself. The fact that she was feeling strange around the blonde confused her and not finding answers as to why frustrated her to no end. _Maybe that's what made me lash out… It still doesn't excuse my behaviour though._ The shocked faces of Fleur and Harry had been like a bucket of ice water over her head which had brought her back to Earth, making her realise how rude her behaviour had been. She really needed to apologise to the kind Frenchwoman... Make the blonde understand that she was not like that, she was not vicious and mean. That she didn't understand why she had behaved that way, that it was no excuse but she would make sure that it never happened again. Her eyes started to feel heavy as her thoughts swam around in her mind, trying to come up with a plan. Hermione laid herself back onto her soft mattress, pulling her discarded blanket back onto her body and soon, she was dozing calmly.

ᴥ

Fleur had been to classes for the whole morning and then went to have lunch in the Great Hall. She had been worried when she noticed the absence of Hermione at her usual seat by the Gryffindor table. _Madame Pomfrey iz wiz her, she iz fine_ , She reasoned, concentrating on finishing her food.

She didn't have any classes in the afternoon so after lunch, she took her time walking back to the carriage. While hiking back, the ground soggy under her feet because of the morning drizzle, she looked at the vast expanse that was the Hogwarts grounds and felt pulled towards the lake. She didn't resist it. That's how she found herself seated at the place she had shed her tears yesterday, thinking about Hermione. This time, she cast a drying charm onto the ground, removing its sogginess and ridding the grass of the dew. Seating herself, she took a deep breath. She had been very affected by the events from yesterday and had felt out of control. Today she was feeling a bit more centered. Her behaviour now made sense to her since Veela are known to have fluctuating moods and heightened emotions when they find their mate, which takes around one month or two to get better. Veela can also feel strong emotions coming off their mates which affect their own.

After Hermione's outburst, the immense pain she had felt had been a clear clue to how much she loved the brunette already. At that moment, she had finally realised that she was in love with the only person she would ever love, but she had gotten hurt by her person at the same time. The pain had actually felt not only emotional but physical. Blame Veela physiology for that. She had felt the wave of anger and dislike coming from Hermione and it had affected her a lot. That's how she had found herself huddled here, shedding silent tears. Her grand-mère had told her that mates also feel heightened emotions for some time when their Veela is close. Could that have affected Hermione? Intensifying her annoyance at the blonde into dislike maybe? Or even being the cause of it? Fleur wasn't sure.

She had been confused since seeing Hermione. Her heart had fallen in love and it had happened so fast that she hadn't had the time to wrap her mind around it. She had been so scared to approach the brunette, her heart telling her to go closer while her mind was screaming for her to run away. She felt stuck in between a rock and a hard place, the Veela heightened emotions increasing her confusion didn't help. 

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she got up, dusted her clothes and walked back to the carriage. She still felt a slight pain in her chest, like an ache that she couldn't shake off. Not attaining their mate's love is dreadful to a Veela, it is like a disease slowly eating your body from the inside out. Now that she had had the time to come in terms with what was happening with her, Fleur felt a little bit more composed. She would take some time to get over the hurt and try with the beautiful brunette again. Maybe she'll have a better chance then because she would be going about it with a clearer head. She will not give up so easily and will go through this with as much determination, courage and dignity she could muster, like a true Veela and a true Delacour.

ᴥ

Back at the carriage, Fleur met with Alexia who had given her enough space but had decided that she should at least try to cheer up her cousin. Walking to their weapon closet, she picked up two shotguns, throwing one at Fleur who caught it easily, eyes questioning.

"Viens avec moi. On a rien fait depuis un certain temps. Allons faire des exercices de tir." [Come with me. We haven't done much for a while. Let's go do some target practice.] Said Alexia, strapping her gun on her back before opening the door and walking outside.

"D'accord." [Alright.] Replied Fleur, following her cousin outside.

Alexia looked for a clear spot and found a flat plain that would work nicely. Pulling out her wand, she conjured a clay target shooter, a distance away from them. Fleur, meanwhile, took the time to check her weapon. Magical guns did not take physical bullets, they simply used magic but instead of spells, they shot out, concentrated bursts of magic, the type depending on its shooter's magic choice, similar to different spells. There was incendiary, explosive, acidic, frost and many more types of bursts that could be used. The fact that the weapons shoot concentrated magic produces lots of recoil, which meant that it required a lot of skill to aim properly.

"Les cibles d'argile rouges sont la tienne, moi je prends bleu. Tu veux courir ou être sur place?" [Red clay targets are yours, I'm taking blue. You want to run or stay still?] asked Alexia. Each target was worth ten points and shooting your opponent's target was minus twenty.

"Courir. Je sens que j'ai beaucoup d'énergie à bruler." [Running, I feel like I have a lot of energy to burn.] Said Fleur, already feeling the adrenaline rushing in her blood.

And soon enough, they were running all around the place, shooting the coloured enchanted clay targets that were being shot randomly into the air, swerving and picking up speed by magic. The girls were sliding all over the muddy ground. Loud splat were heard as they slipped and tumbled into the mud, sputtering as they tried to spit whatever went into their mouth. The air was filled with sounds of gunshots and exploding clay, the squishing of boots onto the soggy ground and a pair of laughter, with shrieks when they slipped and fell down.

An hour and a half later, Fleur was panting heavily, soaked to the bones and covered in mud, still giggling with her equally soaked and muddy cousin. She was feeling a lot better. No one even cared about the score. Alexia grinned at the relaxed face of her cousin, her job was done.

ᴥ

A few hours later, Hermione was woken up by Ginny who had come to check on her.

"Hey, wake up," said the redhead, shaking Hermione a little.

"Hmm?" Hermione murmured as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She felt disoriented for a few minutes before she realised that she was in her bed, tangled in her crimson blanket.

"It's dinner time. You might want to get something to eat. Come on," said Ginny, helping her out the bed. Hermione only took a few minutes to freshen up, wearing a simple Gryffindor shirt and her favourite blue jeans. She quickly slipped on her white sneakers before she and Ginny descended the Grand Staircase together.

As soon as Hermione entered the Great Hall, she spotted Fleur already seated at the Ravenclaw table, animatedly talking to the blondes she was sitting next to. She took her seat at the Gryffindor table, keeping her eyes on the blonde and was pleased to see her eating dinner. At least she is eating. She took the example and filled her plate with food. Her nap had made her hungry as you could hear from her grumbling stomach. She had missed lunch while napping.

The dinner itself was pleasant, with a light conversation with Harry and Ron, mostly because they kept talking about the first Quidditch match taking place tomorrow, Slytherin versus Beauxbatons and they were trying to guess who was in the Beauxbatons team.

When dinner was over, Hermione made her mind and took off in a run towards the Great Oak doors, ignoring Ron calling after her. She was trying to catch up with Fleur, who had just gone through the huge doors.

"Fleur!" she called, trying to pass through the small gaps in the throngs of students around her, she pushed and shoved till she found herself, in the castle courtyard, "Fleur!"

Hearing her name being called out, Fleur turned around and was shocked to see Hermione rushing towards her. She waited for the girl to reach her, trying to understand why the Gryffindor could be calling her.

"Fleur…" Hermione panted heavily as she stopped in front of the blonde. She hunched a little bit, trying to catch her breath. Fleur stood silently, patiently waiting.

"Can I speak with you in private?" asked Hermione. While the courtyard was dark, illuminated by only a few torches on the stone walls, she still felt the need to find a more secluded place.

"Sure Mademoiselle Granger. It iz still early and I waz going to take a walk to ze lake. Would you like to accompany me?" asked Fleur politely, before she focused her gaze at the sky. It was clear tonight, the stars glittering like diamonds against the midnight blue canvas.

Hermione nodded, stung a little bit that the French girl had reverted back to calling her Granger. They walked silently to the lake, which looked calm and peaceful at this time of the night. There was a chilly breeze whiffling around and Hermione shivered. She was still in her casual clothes and hadn't taken a cloak with her, not foreseeing that she would be going outside. She was shaken out of her musing by a weight settling on her shoulders. Turning, she realised that Fleur had taken off her blue Beauxbatons cloak and wrapped it onto her shoulders.

"Fleur, there is no need…" she started to protest.

"Take it. It iz fine," insisted the blonde, her face neutral but her voice commanding, clearly saying that she wouldn't take no for an answer. Hermione reluctantly nodded, pulling the cloak tighter around her, pleasantly surprised to smell jasmine and something unique. She couldn't place it but it made her feel safe. They continued their journey towards the lake. Hermione, looking at the blonde from the corner of her eyes. She noticed how the blonde was a few inches taller than her and walked with grace and authority.

They both sat on a wide fallen tree trunk, which was close enough to the lake that they could hear and see the water lapping gently onto the pebbly shore. Fleur took out her wand and cast out a warming spell which enveloped Hermione like a blanket of comfort. She then conjured a few flames around them to dissipate the darkness, projecting a soft golden glow around. After a few minutes of silence other than the sounds of the wind blowing around them and the gentle lapping of waves against the shore, Hermione started to fidget, not knowing how to start her apology. It would seem that even with all her planning, her courage was failing her at the moment.

"You fainted earlier. Are you feeling alright now?" Fleur broke the silence, scanning the pale face in front of her with concern. The brunette looked small in her cloak and had been looking so lost since they sat down.

The sincerity of the concern, reflected in the cerulean orbs in front of her, amazed her and made her feel even guiltier with the way she had treated the French.

"I am fine, thank you for taking me to the Infirmary" she replied, eyeing the bark texture beside her while twisting her hands on her lap, "and… Uhm, thank you for the book, no one has even given me a gift like that before."

"I am 'appy that you liked it," smiled Fleur, content that even if the girl didn't like her, she had appreciated the gift.

"I…I shall return it to you as soon as I finish with it," promised Hermione, not looking at the blonde, "From what it looks like, it seems to be one of your favourite books. I'll study it and return it to you."

Shaking her head, Fleur replied, "Zhere is no need to return it. It iz indeed one of my favourite books. The spells in it are very difficult but amazing. It will take you some time to finish it all. I wanted you to 'ave it." 

Touched by the generosity of the blonde, Hermione decided it was time. "I also want to apologise…" taking a deep breath, she continued in a whisper, voice laced with regret yet determination, "I am sorry for the way I have treated you. I'm so sorry… I don't know why I behaved that way. I've never behaved like that before. It makes no sense! I'm so sorr-" she apologised sincerely feeling herself tear up as the guilt she felt was crushing her like a giant sitting on her chest. Feeling a warmth settle on her cheeks, she lifted her gaze to realise that Fleur had cupped her cheeks with both hands and was gently wiping her tears with thumbs.

"It iz ok," whispered Fleur, her lilting voice laced with warmth and comfort that washed over Hermione. Hermione's usual chocolate eyes had changed into caramel with gold flecks in them due to the glow of the flames and the view of them moist with tears broke Fleur's heart "Was it something I did?" Fleur asked hesitantly.

Hermione shook her head, "No, you didn't do anything. You have been incredibly kind and polite from the start. I don't know what caused my outburst. Believe me Fleur, I have never behaved that way before," Hermione urged the blonde to believe her.

"I believe you," replied the blonde, nodding gently. The blonde knew that the brunette was one of the kindest people. She has heard of the brunette's S.P.E.W campaign and seen her with others, always being helpful and a just Head Girl and that was why she thought she must have done something to upset such a gentle soul.

Hermione nodded slightly in response. She didn't know what to say next. She hadn't expected her apology to be accepted so swiftly and hadn't thought the blonde would believe her so easily. She tried to reign her tears in, blinking to clear her hazy vision, till it became clearer and she suddenly realised how close Fleur was to her, the blonde hair framing the fair face, small wisps of it fluttering in the breeze, the flames giving it a glow, making it look like spun gold. The usual blue eyes were darker, mirroring the colour the sky was at that moment, midnight blue and yet they were so clear that they reflected the dancing flames floating around them, it was like glittering stars in the sky, something that Hermione found intriguing.

Fleur could not avert her eyes from the beautiful woman in front of her, the golden light making her features stand out, the brown hair like a wild mane around the adorable face. She could feel the brunette's warm breath caressing her face like the gentlest of breezes. The intelligent eyes full of knowledge just lured her like the song of Sirens. She felt like a helpless sailor being reeled in, knowing deep down, she was so close to crashing on the rocky reefs that she couldn't see due to the fog in her heart. Steeling her nerves, it took all of her internal strength to put a distance between her and the angelic face that was still cupped in her hands. She also tried not to think about the moist rose lips that came into focus as she backed away and removed her hands.

Hermione drew in a sharp breath, she could see the blonde's face moving away from hers and she so wanted to pull it back closer. She didn't know why but it made her feel safe to look at the blue eyes from so close, to see the subtle changes in colour and depth, like how small ripples change the surface of water. She acutely felt the loss of warmth as the soft hands left her face. She could see the dark eyes slowly averting themselves, breaking the connection.

Probing her brain to find something to say to bring back the focus of those azure orbs onto her, she blurted out the next thing that came into her mind, "Will you be my friend?" before blushing furiously in embarrassment.

The azure eyes did indeed come back to focus on her, opening wider as if tempting her to peer deeper into them, to look for something hidden inside their depth. The huge smile that erupted on the blonde's face was worth her embarrassment though, it made the blue get a bit lighter and sparkle, like when the moonlight hits the lake just right to create silver sparkles, making her eyes look like sapphires.

"I would love to be friends wiz Mademoiselle Granger!" replied Fleur, voice breathy as her accent became more prominent with the joy she was feeling. 

Hermione beamed at the other girl hearing the happiness in her voice and couldn't help herself. She threw herself at the blonde, wrapping her arms around her and squeezed tightly. She was so happy and relieved! She still felt strange around the blonde but it no longer held any of the previous dislike.

Fleur returned the hug, wrapping her arms around her mate for the very first time. She could feel the heat seeping into every spot that Hermione was in contact with. The air was filled with the scent of honey, lavender and parchment. She tightened her arms around her love and unconsciously burrowed her nose into the bushy chestnut hair in front of her, inhaling deeply.

"Stop calling me Granger then. I'm Hermione" mumbled the brunette, her own nose buried in the collarbone of the blonde. The French girl carried the smell of jasmine and morning dew, it made Hermione feel even stranger, yet not unpleasantly so. She also realised that the smell she couldn't place earlier was just Fleur.

"'Ermione" Fleur whispered reverently into the night, sending an unnoticed shiver down Hermione's spine. They then separated a few minutes later but kept sitting close. They relaxed and chatted about everything and anything, talking for more than two hours before having to go back to their quarters due to curfew but Hermione didn't leave before extracting a promise of meeting in the library in the afternoon tomorrow and saying sorry again.

They bid each other goodnight, both having huge smiles on their faces as they walked back to their rooms.

ᴥ

Breakfast, the next day, was spent by both girls shooting shy glances at each other much to the amusement of Alexia and Gabrielle.

They bugged Fleur so much for details after breakfast that she relented and told them that she had realised that Hermione was indeed her mate and they became friends and she was meeting her later at the library.

"C'est merveilleux!" [It's great!], exclaimed Gabrielle in glee. 

Alexia laughed and thumped Fleur in the back, voicing out her congratulations.

"Nozing happened yet!" said Fleur exasperated.

"Oh! Tu nous parles en Anglais maintenant? [Oh! You speak to us in English Now?] She must 'ave rubbed off you," joked Alexia as Gabrielle laughed.

Blushing furiously, Fleur just huffed and walked to her classes, leaving her laughing cousin and sister behind. Gabrielle, since she was the youngest of the exchange, had different classes from her sister while Alexia, being the same age as Fleur, shared the same classes with her. Alexia kept on teasing Fleur all the way to Transfiguration, not stopping even during class which resulted in them getting scolded by McGonagall. Class was hard to concentrate on as she kept glancing at Hermione sitting a few desks away. 

At lunch, more shy glances were exchanged and Fleur suffered more teasing from the two pests. She felt like she was going to stay flushed all day. The din of the Great Hall was broken by a sharp cry and Fleur looked up to see Artemis glide down to her, a letter grasped between its talons which it dropped on her table before the bird landed in front of her.

She fed little bits of her chicken to her white gyrfalcon. The bird had tiny black spots over her white feathers and had been Fleur's companion since she was five and found her in the forest behind the Delacour Mansion where she was having a picnic with her parents. She had found the little bird on the forest floor all alone and with the help of her Maman and Papa, had taken her home and cared for her. Since then, they have been inseparable. Grabbing the envelope, she broke the wax seal bearing the Delacour Crest on it, removing the parchment inside and unfolded it.

***

_Fleur,_

_You have met your mate! It makes me so happy to hear such good news._

_Just the way, your mother and I have taught you, you must have patience. You must woo her. Your mother is very excited and she orders you to give more details on the girl that you love and also to send a photo of her._

_Offer your beloved, friendship, sincerity, be honest, polite but do not be hasty to tell her everything about the Veela. Feelings, they take time to bloom. You have to be patient and give her time. Don't forget to give her gifts. I always liked gifts. Now that I think about it, your grandfather doesn't give me gifts anymore. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!_

_[As you know, your body is going to go through a new period of change. Your magic is going to become more powerful, you'll be able to use it without your wand more but beware, it is easy to deplete your source of magic and that is not good for your health so take care of yourself. I am going to send you some books on the life and customs of the Veela. You will give them to your beautiful when she is ready. Take care of yourself and don't forget to send us that photo. We are impatient! I'm looking forward to having great-grandchildren!_

_Your Grandmother_

_***_

There was more written after that and she continued reading,

_Oh my Fleur, my daughter, I am so happy that you have found your love! It's time for you to launch the natural charm that you have inherited from me, of course!_

_Your father is so happy to hear that you have fallen in love with a girl! He says he has always been afraid that your love would be a boy and that the vermin would make his daughter fall pregnant in the next weeks after you met him. I do not understand your father. We have magic, it is still possible even if you are with a girl._

_I demand a photo! And also regular news on how the seduction of your beloved is going! I'm sure it will go marvellously, because you are my daughter, of course!_

_I am impatient! Good luck and kisses for you, my love! Mom and Dad are proud of you!_

_Your amazing mother_

***

All throughout the reading of her mother's part of the letter, her eyebrows had been climbing up her face. Hearing snickering behind her, she turned to find that Alexia and Gabrielle had been reading the letter over her shoulder.

"Grand-mère et tantine Apolline sont trop drôles!" [“Grandmother and aunty Apolline are too funny!”] said Alexia, bursting into laughter. 

"Je ne comprends toujours pas comment elles sont si différentes de nous. Elles ont une personnalité, hmm, je dirais plutôt flamboyante," [I still don't understand how they are so different from us. They have a personality, hmm, I would say, rather flamboyant], said Gabrielle, shaking her head in exasperation.

Fleur nodded in agreement. "Elles ont toujours était comme ça… Ma mère parle de grossesse et grand-mère parle d'arrière-petits-enfants en une seule lettre! Tuez moi, s'il vous plait!" [They have always been like that… My mother talks about pregnancy and grandmother talks about great grandchildren in just one letter! Kill me please!], She groaned in mortification, burying her face in the parchment.

Alexia and Gabrielle laughed to tears, patting the poor Fleur on her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment and share your thoughts! I'd appreciate it a lot, it helps keep me writing :) ~ Sky


	4. Quaffle, Bludger and Snitch!

**Quaffle, Bludger and Snitch**

After lunch, Fleur had found that Hermione had already left the Great Hall, surely to go to the library. She had flicked her wand with an ' _Accio'_ incantation for Artemis’ bag of treats of who was perched on the leather shoulder pad she had conjured onto her shoulder.

Entering the library, she saw the Gryffindor at her usual table, looking out of the window, and walked towards it. No matter how many times she watched the brunette, she could never get enough. Every time, it just made her heart grow fonder, her love grow stronger. Walking towards her mate, Fleur threw a suspicious glance at the Bulgarian Seeker who was once again behind a few bookcases. _I heard he prefers to be outdoors doing exercise but I am seeing him in the library a lot. It's weird_. Shrugging it off, she focused back on her lovely Gryffindor.

"May I sit?" she bent down and whispered in the pink ear in front of her.

Turning, Hermione was pleased to see Fleur accompanied by a beautiful white bird with scattered black spots, "Fleur! Of course!" she replied, pushing her things aside so Fleur could have space, "who is this?" she asked, pointing at the bird, as Fleur slipped in the chair facing her.

Smiling, Fleur answered, "Zis is Artemis, Artemis je te présente 'Ermione. Dis Bonjour." [Artemis, I present you Hermione. Say Hello.]

The bird chirped and bowed much to Hermione's amazement. "Wow! I've never seen a bird do that before! What did you say to it? What type of bird is it?" asked Hermione enthusiastically.

"I told her your name and told her to say 'ello. She iz a gyrfalcon," answered Fleur, pleased to see the curiosity and excitement shining on the Gryffindor's face. She was happy that Hermione liked her bird. The falcon chirped in response to Fleur's words.

"The name suits her," said Hermione, admiring the beautiful black and white plumage the bird possessed. While she had her cat Crookshanks and loved him to bits, she never got around to getting an owl. 

"Artemis, va te faire une nouvelle amie," said Fleur. [Artemis, go make yourself a new friend.] Hearing Fleur speak French made Hermione feel a weird fluttering in her stomach. She watched as the gyrfalcon tilted its head towards her before hopping from Fleur's shoulder onto the table. Fleur took out her wand and pointed it at Hermione, who looked at her warily.

"Do not be scared. I will not 'ex you" said Fleur, reading the fear in the brunette's eyes. She wanted the brunette to trust her so she kept eye contact with the swirling molten chocolate to show her honesty. Seeing the girl nod in acquiescence, she conjured a leather shoulder pad similar to hers onto the brunette's shoulder. With a whispered order from the blonde's mouth, the falcon immediately jumped onto the pad, scaring Hermione, who froze.

Fleur laughed at the sight in front of her. Hermione was sitting rigid, with a panicked face, trying to stay as still as a statue while Artemis was watching the new specimen she was now perched on with curiosity. "Relax 'Ermione. She iz not going to 'urt you." Opening the bag of treats, she took out a few sugar treats and handed some to the brunette. "'Ere, feed 'er some of zis"

Hermione slowly took the treats onto her palm and held it out in front of the bird, who pecked at it so fast, it was soon all over. "I've never seen birds eat sugar treats"

"She iz special." Said Fleur, giving the pair in front of her a warm smile. They looked so cute together. "'Ave to give her zat or else she steals my candy" chuckled the blonde, remembering all the times she had found Artemis stealing from her room.

The Gryffindor smiled, nodding and was startled to feel a nibbling sensation on her ear which sent her into a fit of unrestricted giggles.

The transformation on the brunette's face amazed Fleur. She fell more in love, looking at the beautiful and cute girl in front of her. The Gryffindor's face was shining with innocence and glee and the image was beautiful. "She likes you" Fleur whispered, bending forward to tap three times onto the table.

"She is really nice" complimented the Gryffindor as Artemis hopped onto the table and faced her. Reaching out, she caressed the head and feathers of the bird.

They spent the next two hours talking about various topics, like birds, France, England, school and charms while Hermione fed Artemis more treats, the bird staying next to her, loving the caresses.

"We need to go. Zere iz a Quidditch match today," said Fleur reluctantly, pushing out her chair to get up. She didn't really want to leave the company of the Gryffindor.

"Ah yes! Beauxbatons is playing today! Will you sit next to me in the Gryffindor stands?" asked Hermione, starting to gather her belongings. She felt the need to extend the invitation. She really wanted to make an effort in this friendship, she really wanted a friend in Fleur and she also wanted to show she was not the mean girl from before.

"Ah, I cannot because I am playing," replied Fleur, sad to have to say no to the Gryffindor.

"Oh, you play!?" exclaimed Hermione, surprised by the information. She would have never guessed that Fleur played Quidditch. They started to walk to the Quidditch pitch after Hermione had finished packing, Artemis once again, perched on the brunette's shoulder.

"Oui, I am ze 'Poursuiver'…mmm…Seeker! I think this is 'ow you, English, call it." said Fleur, as they walked down the hallways to the exit of the castle that leads to the Quidditch pitch. Rummaging through her bags for her falconry leather glove. "'Ere, take zis" she said, handing them to Hermione, "Would you like to keep Artemis with you?" asked Fleur smilingly, seeing her bird already getting attached to the brunette.

"Oh, sure!" Hermione replied, pleased that Fleur trusted her with her bird. She would like to spend more time with Artemis, a chance to get close to a bird in general as well as a chance to get to know Fleur's bird specifically. She liked the falcon.

Fleur then handed her the bag of treats and explained the multitude of tricks that the bird knew as they emerged out on the Hogwarts grounds. Hermione was fascinated with the explanation Fleur was giving her. She didn't own a bird, always used the school owls for her mail but those owls only let her tie her letters to their legs before taking off. They didn't do anything other than that. From her interaction with Hedwig, even he didn’t do much other than deliver mail. This falcon looked well trained and seemed to be able to do a lot of things.

"Now, if you want it to fly away, she will go to my window at ze carriage. First, you make sure she iz not on your shoulder" continued Fleur, " You zen say 'Envole' " On hearing the order, the falcon took off from Hermione's shoulder, giving the brunette's shoulder a strong push, with its wings ruffling her hair into a tousled mess, leaving Hermione startled.

"Artemis, revient!"[Artemis, come back!] shouted Fleur, she looked at Hermione apologetically, "Sorry" she said sheepishly, "as I said, it iz best if she is not on your shoulder when you give the command becauze it messes wiz your 'air" she said, pointing at Hermione's ruffled hair, as the falcon glided back and dropped back onto Hermione's shoulder.

"Oh, and if you want to introduce 'er to your friends, tell 'er "Dis Bonjour" and she will chirp and bow. Won't you, ma petite Artemis?" she asked, patting the bird on the head which chirped in reply and bowed down.

"Oh, je suis désolé, I keep rambling," apologised Fleur, embarrassed, "maybe it iz too much to remember."

"No, it is fine! It's amazing! I understood everything," said Hermione, reciting some of the commands Fleur told her which made Artemis take off again, turning her hair into a bigger mess.

"Artemis, revient!" Fleur shouted again, "Your French iz not bad" she commented, shaking her head at her falcon.

"I went to France for the holidays, three years ago. I only learnt a few words though. I am just copying you," replied Hermione shyly, trying to pat her hair down with one hand as the bird landed on her shoulder for a second time.

Fleur nodded in understanding, really wishing she had gotten the chance to know her mate at that time she had visited her home country. Maybe she would have had the chance to show her around, take her to the most romantic places and woo her totally the French way but they probably would have been too young.

Soon they were standing in front of the entrance to the Quidditch Pitch. "I have to go through here to get to the Gryffindor Stands. The Player Lockers are the other way." Hermione pointed to the corridor to her left.

"Thank you 'Ermione. I will see you after ze match?" Fleur asked, hopeful, not getting enough of the brunette's presence.

"Yes, good luck." And with a smile and a wave, she disappeared into the bleachers. This match was sure to be interesting.

ᴥ

**QUI…QUI…QUI…QUIDDITCH!**

The weather was really gloomy with grey clouds looming over the pitch. Well, in Scotland's standard, it was good weather for Quidditch, no rain, snow or thunderstorms. Hermione had managed to find Harry, Ron and Ginny sitting in the front, at the Gryffindor bleachers.

"Wow, Hermione, where did you get that bird?" asked Ginny curiously, eyeing Artemis. From what she knew, Hermione never mentioned getting a new pet.

"She is Fleur's. Her name is Artemis," replied Hermione, smiling as she realised she felt comfortable with the bird now and was not rigid anymore. It had taken so little time for her...

"FLEUR'S?" bellowed Ron, interrupting her train of thought, as he turned towards her, shocked, "You mean FLEUR DELACOUR!?"

"Hmm yeah?" replied Hermione hesitantly, not liking the face the redhead was making.

"You know Fleur Delacour and you didn't tell me?" he asked, approaching her with a mixture of disbelief, jealousy and annoyance painted on his face. Not that anyone noticed. All they saw was his usual scrunched face, the one he did when he was thinking, when he was eating, when he was annoyed… uhh, pretty much all the time.

"Ron! It is none of your business!" replied Hermione, annoyed with his behaviour. It was annoying of him to question her. She had the right to make friends with whoever she wanted and she didn't have to report anything she did to him. Plus she knew his fascination with Fleur and wanted to spare Fleur his behaviour and the embarrassment.

"Oh come on!" Ron retorted, realised he had pissed off the brunette. He walked closer to her, grasping her hand, trying to pacify her. "I didn't mean anything by it. It's just boy stuff. No need to get jealous, Mione." He said, showing his apologetic face yet slightly miffed that Hermione hadn't told him that she was close to Fleur.

Hermione was flabbergasted that the boy thought she was jealous. She so was not. _Where did this moronic thought come from?_

She was about to retort when a sharp cry echoed next to her. Artemis had bent down, getting into Ron's face and shrieked loudly in warning as if to tell the redhead to back off.

Ron backed away fearfully, face scrunched up, confused. He looked willing to do something about the bird but he then decided against it. It was Fleur's after all. He huffed at the bird before walking back to his seat, next to Harry.

Hermione was trying to understand what had just happened. With the face Ginny was making next to her, she was probably doing the same or just asking herself how her brother could be such a prat. _I would bet on the latter._ Hermione brought up her gloved hand and Artemis jumped onto it. "Merci" thanked Hermione in French with gratitude in her voice, stroking the protective bird, very well aware that the bird had defended her. Artemis twittered in response.

"Wow!" exclaimed Ginny, amazed at what had just unfolded right in front of her own eyes. That bird was terrific! "Can I have a bird like that to chase away my brothers as well?" she asked, looking at the falcon with wonder.

"She is precious, isn't she? Already amazed me so many times. Come on, let's sit." Hermione gestured to two seats a bit further away from the redhead boy and both girls plopped themselves onto it. Taking out her wand, Hermione conjured a bird perch. The bird easily hopped onto it, "Let's watch Fleur, yeah?" Hermione proposed while caressing the bird, which responded with a chirp.

ᴥ

Fleur closed her locker and adjusted the straps for her fingerless gloves and also that of her arm and shin guards. She was wearing the Beauxbatons Quidditch robes that consisted of a shirt and pants of similar colour to the school usual uniform. Over it was a silver vest with a cape attached, slightly darker blue colour with silver trim and shining over the crest on her shirt was her gold "C" Captain Badge. She grabbed the handle of her Firebolt, her parents having gotten her name engraved in gold on it when they gifted it to her and started making last-minute checks on the broomstick. She loved the broomstick, it was fast and made her feel free. Flying was one of her passions and she loved sports, so Quidditch, being an amalgamation of the two was one of her favourites.

Happy with the state of the broom, she walked to her teammates to give them the pep talk before they walked out in-formation of the tunnel onto the pitch, Alexia, the Keeper, on her right flank.

Hermione watched as the Beauxbatons players walked out, easily spotting Fleur with her shiny blonde hair and was impressed to see the gleaming Captain badge on her chest.

"Blimey! Look, Harry! That's Fleur and she has a Captain Badge! I didn't know she played Quidditch. She looks far too pretty for that!" exclaimed Ron, his voice carrying over to Hermione's ears.

“Shut up, Ron!” yelled Ginny, her brother was such a git sometimes. She didn’t like his implication, especially with her being the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. 

Hermione tuned out the stupid words of Ron. She had to or she might just blast the boy away with a hex. The players on both sides lined up to face each other before shaking their opponents' hands, which the Slytherins did with sneers and smirks on their face while the Frenchs stayed neutral. It impressed Hermione how Fleur stayed cool as she shook hands with the Slytherin players who were surely throwing remarks and swears at the blonde. It was what the Slytherins did usually, from what she heard from Harry' and Ginny’s own experience.

"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you. Mount your brooms!" said Madam Hooch, as she walked in the middle, dressed in her refereeing robes, with her own broom held in her hand and her whistle dangling from the chain around her neck. Giving them the signal, she watched as all of them flew into the air for their warming up exercise.

Soon the players were all doing a few warming rounds of the stadium before getting in formation in the air. Madam Hooch kicked open the Ball Box to release the bludgers and the Snitch, which zoomed in front of Fleur's face as if taunting her. Madam Hooch took the quaffle, launching it in the air before whistling. The match was underway! Blue and green zoomed erratically from all sides, in all directions.

Fleur zoomed in on her broom, snatching the Quaffle in mid-air before launching it backwards to her Chaser, Brittany Pierce, behind her. Shifting to the middle of the pitch, she watched as Brittany avoided the bludgers effortlessly as a dancer in the air and passed her back the ball which she caught easily. Pulling onto her broom handle, she started ascending, fairly aware that two Slytherin Chasers were after her. A bludger zoomed past her, narrowly missing her arm as she leaned her body to avoid it. She then did an acrobatic loop to destabilise the Chasers after her, dropping the Quaffle as she turned at the top of her loop. Quinn Fabray, another Chaser, who was zooming past from underneath her, caught the pass easily and the Slytherin Chasers shifted target, deciding to abandon their chase after Fleur to go with the Quaffle Bearer, Quinn. Giving chase as well, Fleur stuck close to the back of the two opponent Chasers. "Manœuvre Double Diamant!" She shouted, giving her position to her teammates, for them to slide into required formation.

Quinn kept going towards the right goal hoop, drawing the Slytherin Keeper to her side. As the two Slytherin Chasers flanked Quinn and were going to crush her in, Quinn did a short-throw backwards before diving, sending the Quaffle right into the hands of Fleur who dodged the third Slytherin Chaser who tried to swipe the red ball off her.

Fleur repeated the move Quinn did, throwing the Quaffle behind to Brittany, who had slid into Fleur's previous position after Quinn's pass to Fleur, already waiting for the second pass. Brittany hurled the ball into the unguarded left hoop, giving a shout of victory as the Quaffle passed through it with unerring accuracy.

 **Lee Jordan:** "Goal by Brittany Pierce. Amazing play by the Beauxbatons team involving their Seeker Captain, Fleur Delacour! Beauxbatons 10 – 0 Slytherin! She surely turned the heads of the Slytherin Chasers and Keeper with her amazing tactics! – Brains and Beauty too!"

 **Minerva McGonagall:** "JORDAN!"

 **Lee Jordan:** "Sorry Professor, just a fun fact!" he laughed, enjoying his casual spot as a commentator at Hogwarts now that he had graduated and worked at the radio station. 

ᴥ

"Hey, it's rare to see a Seeker handle the Quaffle, usually they go directly after the Snitch" mused Ginny.

"Yeah. I don't know. I guess she has a reason for it?" shrugged Hermione, pondering on the tactics in play. It had been an impressive maneuver.

Giving a high five to Brittany, Fleur smiled. She had done her work. Working such a big part into scoring the first goal had made the opposing players wary of her play. Now she could zoom in all over the field in search of the Golden Snitch and it would disrupt the Slytherin's attention from the Quaffle and her Chasers. _Tactics_ , she grinned. She turned around, eyeing the perimeter for the Snitch. “Hijo de Puta!” She heard Santana Lopez, one of her Beaters swear at one of the opposing beaters for having tried to drive a bludger towards Brittany earlier and laughed. 

ᴥ

One hour into the game and it was Beauxbatons 150 – 100 Slytherin, Fleur's manoeuvres contributing seven goals into their tally. Fleur was circling the pitch, still trying to find the elusive Snitch.

The gloomy clouds had started to retreat when suddenly, a ray of sunshine glittered on something in the air, catching the Beauxbatons seeker's eye. Fleur lunged towards it at full speed, alerting the Slytherin seeker, Draco Malfoy, who had been looking for the Snitch himself while keeping an eye on her.

The chase was on! Draco sped his broom towards the golden ball until he found himself zooming side by side with the Beauxbatons Seeker towards the golden ball. He elbowed her then tried to ram her off.

Draco was bumping into her, trying to get her off-course but Fleur kept tight control on her body and broom. The Snitch changed direction, plunging closer to the ground and both seekers dived with it.

"Manœuvre Fleur De Lys!" Fleur shouted. A few seconds after, Quinn zoomed past her, destabilising the Slytherin followed by a vicious double bludger hit from Santana Lopez, which forced Draco off-course to avoid the two cannonballs.

Extending her hands to the maximum, Fleur felt the fluttering of the golden wings of the Snitch onto her fingertips. Sliding herself a bit fore on her broom, she tried to grasp it, she was so close. So concentrated on the golden ball, she missed what a Slytherin player had sent back towards her. Too late. She felt the bludger hit her directly on the side of her chest, throwing her off the broom. She crashed onto the ground, sliding on the damp grass to a stop.

Hermione jumped up, feeling her throat catch, her face paling as the bludger hit Fleur. Collective gasps echoed all over the arena. She held onto the stand railing till her knuckles went white as she watched with terror, the blonde fall from her broom, crashing hard onto the field.

 **Lee Jordan:** "Oh my god, Captain Fleur Delacour takes a bludger to the chest!"

Fleur tried shook the fogginess that was creeping into her brain due to the pain, tried to breathe as much as she could. Coughing, she spat out blood. _Ribs punctured lungs. Mon Dieu, it 'urts._ She thought before slipping into unconsciousness.

Medical staff were already rushing on the field as Madam Hooch blew the whistle, "Beauxbatons wins!"

The Snitch was firmly enclosed in her unconscious Beauxbatons seeker's fist.

Cheers erupted all around the bleachers, all except in the Slytherin stands.

ᴥ

 **Lee Jordan:** "Final Score, Beauxbatons 300 – 100 Slytherin! With a fantastic catch of the Snitch by Captain Fleur Delacour, having managed to catch the Snitch even with taking a bludger to her chest. It was amazing how…."

Hermione hadn't been listening, she hadn't even waited a single second more before she took Artemis and ran to the stairs. While she had been descending from the stands, she had seen the Beauxbatons Headmistress, Madam Maxime, carrying the blonde out of the pitch while Madam Pomfrey was administering First Aid as much as she could. She knew where to find her; downstairs at the Medical Tent that was connected to the Quidditch Pitch. She had to get there fast.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment and share your thoughts! I'd appreciate it a lot, it helps keep me writing :) ~ Sky


	5. Injury & Care of Magical Creatures

**Injury Time…**

Bursting through the medical tent flaps, Hermione was horrified as she saw the now conscious French girl choking, blood flowing from her mouth, Madam Pomfrey bustling around her with her wand and flasks of potions.

"Miss Granger! You are not allowed inside!" Professor McGonagall appeared suddenly beside her, shooing her outside.

"Please Professor, let me stay!" pleaded Hermione. She felt like being here for the blue-eyed girl, she didn't want to leave.

"Just sit here. I have no time for this. I have to help Poppy," said McGonagall, hastily pointing at a chair at the corner of the tent before rushing back to attend to Fleur.

The helpless Gryffindor watched as Madam Pomfrey did an incantation with her wand to stop the blonde from choking then helped her drink a potion which she recognised as Blood Replenishment Potion, used to replace blood loss. Then McGonagall helped Fleur drink another potion which she also recognised as Skele-Gro, used to grow back or mend broken bones, which the blonde nearly spat out. She knew why as Harry had said it tasted awful and burned when swallowed.

After making sure that everything was under control, the Beauxbatons Captain was then transported to the Infirmary, during which she lost consciousness again. Her teammates had come to check up on her for a while before they left, leaving only the darker blonde girl that always sat next to Fleur in the Great Hall and also the pint-sized Fleur carbon copy. Hermione had tagged along when they had moved the injured seeker to the Hospital Wing and here she was sitting, flanking one side of the bed, Artemis perched on the bedside table, while the other side was flanked by the other two French girls.

The pint-sized Fleur hopped off her chair, going around the bed before stopping right in front of her.

"'Ello, I am Gabrielle Delacour, sister of zis z'ing 'ere" said the smaller blonde, pointing at the injured seeker, before extending her hand for a handshake.

Hermione arched her eyebrow at the words "this thing here" but shook the hand proffered.

"And I am Alexia Delacour, couzin of Fleur," the darker blonde introduced herself, shaking the hand of the Gryffindor over the bed.

"Nice meeting you both. I am Hermione Granger." Hermione answered back.

"Oh we know" said Gabrielle, nodding her head slowly while Alexia snickered which made Hermione confused.

"How?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"Well, you see, zis z'ing 'ere" Gabrielle pointed at the unconscious Fleur, " 'as taken a 'uuge interest in you." Alexia roared in laughter.

Hermione blushed at the words. Before she could ask Gabrielle what she meant, she heard the lilting voice she could recognise anywhere.

"Uuuuuugh, Alexiaaaa… 'Ow can someone…. sleeeeeep wiz zissssss boucan [racket]!?" moaned Fleur, blinking in the effort to open her eyes.

"Fleur!" cried Hermione, standing up to lean over the injured girl, "How are you feeling?" she asked, concern laced in her voice.

"Ooooo, 'Ermiooone. Shhoooo pretty!" slurred Fleur. Looked like the drugs administered to her were making her tipsy. Hermione could feel her face getting hotter, feeling like it was going to catch fire at any minute. The laughter of the two French girls around her was so… not helping.

"Why you laugh?" asked Fleur, scrunching her face in confusion, trying to lift her head to look at her cousin and sister. Finally deciding that she couldn't, she looked back at Hermione and exclaimed, "She iz pretty! Why you red, 'Ermiooooone?!" lifting her wobbly arms to cup the flushed face.

"Ahahahaha" laughed Alexia, holding her stomach with tears in her eyes. Gabrielle was already on the floor, gasping out of breath. Finally being able to catch her breath, Alexia signalled to her cousin, "She…' _ pant _ '…seems…to be ok…phewww… Viens Gabrielle, laissons les deux tourtereaux ensemble." [Come Gabrielle, let's leave those two lovebirds together] Looking into Hermione's blushing face, she stifled a new wave of laughter and said, "Take care of her!" and grasped Gabrielle's hand before running out, dragging her along.

Hermione turned her head back to the blonde. She hadn't understood what Alexis had said, she only knew a few French words and she didn't exactly know what to say to the droopy girl holding her face. Underneath her, the blue eyes were glassy and the girl had a dopey smile on her face. If she wasn't so embarrassed, she would have smiled at such a cute face and childish behaviour herself.

It had taken only a few minutes, with Fleur getting drowsier and mumbling unintelligible words, for her to fall asleep. Hermione could only watch. Fleur needed rest anyway to recuperate. Taking a bludger to the chest had to hurt like hell, Hermione couldn't understand how the French girl had done it and even managed to catch the Snitch after that. The images of the girl choking on her blood flashed through her mind. Shaking her head furiously to get the images out her head, Hermione sighed as she was unsuccessful. She felt like the horrible images were going to stay in her mind for a while. Getting up, she squeezed the blonde's hand gently before whispering good night, then walked back to the Gryffindor Common Rooms.

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The next day, Hermione was thankful that it was Saturday, meaning no classes and she could visit Fleur as much as she wanted to. She had hurriedly eaten breakfast, wishing a short 'good morning' to her friends but not really bothering to have any conversation. As she finished and got up from the table, Ron stopped her.

"Where are you going, Hermione?" he asked curiously, "You disappeared after the match yesterday as well."

"Uhmm, I'm going to the library. Why?" lied Hermione. She didn't have time for Ron and she certainly didn't want to get into an argument with him, which would have been the case if she had said she was going to visit Fleur.

"What for? I was wondering if you would like to go to Hogsmeade" he asked, trying to ask for a date. 

"Sorry Ron, I can't. It's such short notice. I have something really important scheduled today. Go have fun with Harry, ok? See you." Hermione bid him goodbye before turning on her heels and walking away, leaving a surprised Ron looking at her retreating back.

A few minutes later, she walked into the infirmary to find Fleur propped up onto her bed, a breakfast tray on her bed, munching on some croissant.

"Good morning, Fleur" she greeted with a smile.

"'Ermione!" exclaimed the blonde in surprise. "It iz so good to see you!"

Hermione pulled one of the chairs beside the bed and sat, "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Madame Pomfrey said zat ze Blood Replenishment Potion 'as already done its job and my ribs 'ave already started to mend. I will be discharged soon after breakfast. She said to take it easy till all my ribs are completely 'ealed. I do 'ave a 'Uuge bruize on ze chest zhough" she said, peering down her hospital slip in explanation.

"Obviously! You took a bludger to the chest!" scowled the Gryffindor.

"I caught the Snitch zhough, 'Ermione." Fleur whined in response.

Exasperated, Hermione could only shake her head, "Do you always have this childish behaviour when you are hurt?" she asked, amused at the faces the blonde was making.

"Non, what are you talking about?" pouted Fleur.

Stifling a smile, Hermione looked up to see Madam Pomfrey approaching.

"Miss Delacour, are you finished with your breakfast?" The Head Nurse asked. With a nod from the French girl, she waved her wand and the breakfast tray disappeared, "One last check-up and then you are discharged." Slowly passing her wand over the injured girl's chest, she nodded, "All good. No extreme activities for a week, you need your rest, ok? Any complication or bumps onto that chest and you come see me, right away," instructed Poppy, waiting for her patient to nod before walking away.

Sliding off the bed, Fleur took her folded uniforms from the bedside table and turned to Hermione, "I 'ave to go change. Wait for me?" she asked shyly, tilting her head to one side, indicating the change rooms.

"Sure. I'll be right here" said Hermione, finding the behaviour of the blonde adorable.

After having gone into the bathroom and changed into her usual clothes, Fleur came back out and the two girls exited the infirmary together.

"Uhh 'Ermione?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you have any plans today?" asked Fleur timidly.

"No, I don't. Why?"

"I waz wondering if maybe…you would like to go to ze lake wiz me?" she asked, blushing lightly.

"I would love to, Fleur but aren't you supposed to be resting?" asked Hermione concerned.

"I won't do anything tedious 'Ermione. We… can just sit… and talk?" Fleur replied as a question.

Seeing the brunette agree with a smile, Fleur returned the smile and the two girls walked towards the Black Lake, where the Durmstrang ship was anchored.

On their way there, Hermione remembered, "Oh, I forgot to tell you but I let Artemis fly away so she must have gone back to your carriage."

"It iz fine. My friends will take care of 'er" replied Fleur as she sat at her usual spot with Hermione quickly filling the spot next to her.

"While I am not happy that you got hurt, I congratulate you for your win. Slytherin is one of the hardest teams to beat here in Hogwarts."

"Thank you," Fleur grinned "It waz a good match. About ze getting 'urt part, I'm used to it."

"Really? Why is that? Is Beauxbatons' Quidditch harsher than this?" asked Hermione, troubled at the idea of the blonde getting hurt so much.

"Non, our Quidditch iz the same as 'Ogwarts. I 'ave just been injured a lot since I am Veela and we do a lot of dangerous trials," replied the blonde.

Hermione’s eyes widened as she heard Fleur say she was Veela. She had heard murmurs from multiple people within the school and even some from Ron but she hadn’t paid any attention to them. She knew so little of Veelas. "Oh you are a Veela! Really?! I do not know much about the Veela. Can you tell me more?"

"Zere iz little I can tell because we Veela are very secretive," replied Fleur apologetically.

"Oh…" replied Hermione, utterly disappointed.

"We would easily find some books on zem in ze library. Zhough zey 'old general information on the Veela. I told my grandmuzzer about you, 'ow you are known to be ze smartest witch of 'Ogwarts and 'ow you thirst knowledge. She said she will send some more detailed books for you."

"Really?!" exclaimed Hermione excitedly, eyes already gleaming at the prospect of getting such amazing books, "but…" she continued sceptically, "didn't you just say you can't give me more information because Veelas are secretive?"

"Zere are things people can know and zose are found in books in libraries, zere are things we are allowed to share wiz close people to us such as friends and ze rest can only be shared with our significant ozhers. Even zhen, for non-Veela significant ozhers, a group of things can only be experienced after ze 'Sanguin Ritus' iz done, as zhey gain Veelan characteristics through ze ritual which allows zhem to experience zhose things zhat cannot be read or learnt," explained Fleur, happy that the brunette was so interested in knowing her culture, her people and thus in default, her.

"What is the Sanguin Ritus'? Can I do it?" asked Hermione. 

"Uhmm…" Fleur blushed, "It iz not possible 'Ermione… or maybe you could,” she added the last few words in an inaudible whisper, before she continued, “Ze Sanguin Ritus…uhm, iz a ritual done between a Veela and 'er mate. Zey exchange zeir blood. Zat way, the non-Veela gets Veela blood but…uh…"

"But?"

"It iz a marriage ritual 'Ermione" replied Fleur embarrassed, looking on as Hermione's face erupt in a furious blush, "and ze blood exchange iz not completed until…" Fleur was getting even more flushed, "zemarriageizconsummated!" she rushed out.

Frowning for a few seconds, Hermione tried to decipher what exactly the blonde had just said. As soon as the words registered in her brain, her face nearly burst into flames. "Oh…" she whispered, not knowing what to say.

"It's fine. You didn't know" said Fleur, trying to dispel the awkward cloud that was looming over them. "Tell me more about yourself. I'm afraid, I did muggle studies for only a few years so I don't know a lot."

They spent hours talking about muggles, trading stories.

"So I 'eard you muggles fly in zose big things. Is it like flying in ze carriage we came in?" asked Fleur, intrigued.

"I don't think so. While I don't know how it feels to fly in the carriage you came in, planes are very different. You can't move in them much, you stay seated for most of the voyage and it's pretty uncomfortable," replied Hermione.

"Oh… Flying in ze carriage is very comfortable. You don't feel much of ze abrupt turns or movements the Abraxans make. Our teacher said that zose big things…uhm, what did you call zem? Ah, planes. Well, in French zey call zem 'avion'. I find them intriguing. Ze wings, zey do not flap like birds," said Fleur, face scrunching in confusion.

"While it flies and is in the shape of a bird, it’s not exactly one," smiled Hermione, clearly pleased that Fleur could remember the things she learnt in muggle studies. She was about to continue her conversation when suddenly a loud grumbling sound was heard.

Looking at Fleur, Hermione realised that the blonde's face was turning crimson and grasped that the sound had come from the Veela's stomach. Laughing, she said, "You are hungry? You just had breakfast!"

"Oui…" replied Fleur shyly. Her stomach grumbled once again to answer the question as well.

Chuckling, Hermione took the hand of the blonde and helped her up, "Come on, I know where we can get some more food for you" Fleur smiled in gratitude as the pair dusted themselves before walking back to the castle.

After going through the stairs and hallways, Hermione reached the fruit bowl painting and tickled the pear, which giggled and revealed a doorknob. Opening the painting, she pulled Fleur into the Hogwarts kitchen. One by one, Hermione presented the house-elves to Fleur, who was very impressed that the Gryffindor was so close to them, she even knew all of their names!

"And this is Dobby. He is a very dear friend of mine and the boys, especially Harry," presented Hermione, hugging the small house-elf.

Fleur knelt down to shake his hand, "'Ello Dobby. Nice to meet you" greeted Fleur.

Hermione, having been pleasantly surprised by the French girl manners towards the elves, was even more pleased to see the way the girl made a bigger effort for Dobby.

"Hello, Miss Delacour. Dobby is happy to have you at Hogwarts" smiled the small elf, bowing.

"Ah, please call me Fleur," said Fleur to which Dobby replied, "As you wish, Miss Fleur."

"Dobby? Fleur is a bit hungry, do you think she could get something to eat?" asked Hermione politely.

"Of course! What would Miss Fleur desire to eat?" asked Dobby, eager to please.

"No need to worry about it Dobby, a sandwich would be fine."

"Oh Miss Fleur, Dobby can find whatever you want to eat, just order. Unless it is just a sandwich that you want."

Pondering, Fleur murmured, "I do miss French cuisine."

"Then Dobby will find whatever Miss Fleur desires," reaffirmed Dobby.

"Alright, iz it ok to have Coq Au Vin? Wiz Baguettes? I've been missing it terribly." Asked Fleur sheepishly.

Dobby ushered them to one of the tables in the kitchen corner and seated them, bringing some pumpkin juice while they waited for the food.

"So you are missing home food?" asked Hermione, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice.

"Terribly. We only had bouillabaisse ze first day and I 'ad to come to get more from your table! It was so good. Since zhen only English food!" wailed Fleur, "I only managed to get some croissants and café for breakfast today because Madame Pomfrey asked me what I wanted to eat."

After a few minutes of conversation and drinking, Dobby apparated in front of them with a steaming cooking pot in hand which he placed on the table before snapping his fingers making a basket full of fresh French sliced baguette appear on the table. The smell was wafting all around and Fleur's mouth was salivating as she inhaled it deeply.

"Oh Dobby, it smells so good! Zhank you!" Fleur said, already putting food onto her plate.

"No problem, Miss Fleur." He refilled their goblets before going back to his chores.

Fleur sliced off a big piece of bread from the basket before breaking it into pieces in her plate. On her first mouthful, she moaned, "Zhis iz so good!" before going back to munching on her food.

"What is it exactly?" asked Hermione, peering into the blonde's plate.

"'Ere," spearing a piece of bread, soaked in the sauce with a piece of chicken, Fleur blew on it before bringing the fork to the brunette's mouth.

Blushing, Hermione hesitantly pulled her hair behind her ear and opened her mouth, taking the forkful. She then chewed gently, trying to savour the flavour of the dish.

Fleur watched in awe as the mouth in front of her opened, revealing a pink tongue, before engulfing the food she held. Pink lips closed onto the fork and she could only gulp, mouth suddenly dry, as she gently pulled onto the fork, watching it slide so sensuously between those beautiful lips.

Keeping her eyes on the beautiful brunette, she reached for her pumpkin juice, taking a big gulp from the goblet to relieve her parched throat. She had never thought watching Hermione eat could have such an effect on her.

"Hmm, it's delicious!" smiled Hermione as she finished swallowing. Fleur nodded dumbly before shaking her head to regroup herself.

"Oui, it iz. Let me fix you a plate." She replied shakily, putting some of the Coq au Vin on a plate before passing it to the Gryffindor with some slices of bread.

They ate with pleasant banter, Hermione occasionally commenting on the French food or asking questions about the ingredients and French cuisine, in general. All during the conversation, Fleur was sending secret glances towards the mouth of the brunette while she bit, chewed and talked. She also took a very big interest watching the sexy movement of the Gryffindor's throat as she swallowed and Mon Dieu, she felt faint every time Hermione licked her lips. That tongue peeking out, slowly swiping the pink lips, giving her shivers and then retreating back into the hot mouth, leaving the lips moist and glistering.  _ She will be ze death of me!  _ Thought the blonde, trying hard not to start squirming in her chair. She was feeling ashamed that her heightened Veela emotions were making her feel like a pubescent boy! 

By the time it was really lunch, they were fed and full so they didn't bother to go into the Great Hall.

"What do you want to do now?" asked Hermione, having fun with the French and not wanting to stop now.

"Well, we could do whatever you want, 'Ermione," replied Fleur.

"Well, you got me interested in Veelas and I now want to know more. Do you mind coming with me to the library so that I can get some books about it? Maybe you could help me decide which books to get?" offered Hermione, already excited to start reading about the Veelas.

"Sure. I am a bit knowledgeable on some of the generic titles about Veelas. Let's 'ope 'Ogwarts 'as them in its library," replied Fleur, trying to remember all the titles of the books she had read when she had been learning about her race, "ze general books are not always right zhough, a lot are also incomplete. I learn most about Veelas from my family and also from my training at ze village."

"Well, could I maybe ask you some questions after I read about it? Then if something is wrong or incomplete, you can correct it?"

"I would love to. Zhough, zhere are some specific things I won't be able to tell you. Some parts of ze Veela heritage are very secret, like ritual specifics and so on and can only be told to a Veela or mate," explained Fleur, apologetically, "My grandmuzzer's books will 'elp you even more than any books you find in ze library."

Hermione perked up, "Thank you!" she squealed, throwing herself at the blonde who caught her perfectly. Fleur was loving those Hermione Hugs. The brunette really loved her books. 

Pulling back, Hermione smiled at the blonde and both resumed their walk to the library.

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**Care and Love of Magical Creatures**

Entering the library, Hermione took Fleur's hand and was pulling her to the "Magical Creatures" Section when she heard her name being called out with heavy footsteps rushing from behind her. Turning, she came face to face with Ron.

"Ron? What are you doing here?" asked Hermione, annoyed that the boy had bumped into her when she was with Fleur. What was he doing in the library anyway? He never comes to the library on his own. Wasn't he supposed to be at Hogsmeade with Harry?

"Hermione. I was looking for you. You said you were going to be in the library," complained the redhead, his eyes totally focused on Fleur.

"Well, I went out for some fresh air for a while. I never said I was going to stay in here all day," objected the brunette. She didn't have to explain herself and she was getting pissed at the way Ron was looking at the blonde.

"Well, are you going to present me to your friend?" he prompted, his eyes never leaving the Veela, not even realising that his request was stupid since he had already been presented to Fleur.

"Monsieur Weazley, perhaps you forgot zat we were introduced on my first day here." Fleur took over.

"Oh yeah! Haha sorry. So what are you girls doing here?" he asked, trying to get into their group.

"We are in the library Ron so obviously it has something to do with books," Hermione muttered, turning and dragging the blonde towards the intended sections.

"Oh great! I can help," said Ron, not wanting to leave. His eyes strayed to Fleur’s backside as he followed them.

Stepping in the "Magical Creatures" aisle, Hermione turned to him, "It is not necessary Ron. We can manage, I know you hate the library. What exactly are you doing in the library anyway? Why are you not with Harry?"

"Oh I insist Hermione, it is the duty of a gentleman to help the ladies," he said, with a 'charming' smile that Hermione didn't find charming at all. "Harry is at Hogsmeade with Ginny. I decided not to go after breakfast, didn't feel like it," he shrugged, "so what is it that you guys are looking for?"

Hermione felt suspicious as to why he was here. He always went to Hogsmeade with Harry. Plus the fact that he was in the library was a warning bell in itself. Finding that there was nothing she could do about it at the moment, she said "We are looking for books about unicorns," keeping her face neutral as she saw Fleur raise her eyebrow at her from the corner of her eyes.

"Alright! Fleur, Hermione knows this library like the back of her hand. Sometimes I feel like she would sleep here if she could," he laughed at his joke, "Since you are not from Hogwarts, you might get lost in here. Why don't I show you around while she looks for those books? She will find them in a jiffy."

Hermione couldn't believe him. Didn't he say it was 'gentlemanly' to help and now he wants to leave it all to her while he goes flirting with Fleur? No way in hell. "Ronald, she has already been into the library countless times. She is not like you. She actually reads."

Ron huffed in annoyance, "Come on Hermione, go look for the books. I'm just giving her a tour like a nice friend."

_ Nice friend, my arse.  _ Not finding anything she could say, Hermione looked up at Fleur.

"Ah, Monsieur Weazley, it iz best to leave it for anozer day. I really need ze books on the unicorns," said Fleur. Who was this nuisance to take her away from her 'Ermione?

"Alright," Ron complied, disappointed.

They spent the next half an hour looking at books about unicorns with Ron following Fleur all around the aisles, trying to start a conversation with her. Hermione thought it was pathetic. He spent twenty minutes whispering pickup lines, thinking Hermione wouldn't hear, which Fleur expertly deflected before trying a normal conversation which he failed at because none of the topics he talked about interested Fleur. It was only at the end of the half hour that he got to the topic of Quidditch which was something Fleur could actually talk about. So here she was, spotting the Veela books she was interested in from the corner of her eyes, discreetly stacking them into a pile on one of the tables while listening to Fleur politely reply to Ron’s questions. He was getting on her nerves.

Fleur, on the other hand, was not faring any better. The redhead had tried to strike conversation on a multitude of topics which she could fake that she didn't know much about but then he had a stroke of genius and started talking about Quidditch. Being the Quidditch Captain and seeker of Beauxbatons, she couldn't get out of the conversation and now she was stuck.

It was then that she looked up from the annoying guy and saw Alexia walking into the library.  _ Escape route!  _ She cut off Ron gushing about the Chuddly Cannons and waved at her cousin, "Alexia, viens me secourir de cette conversation, s'il te plait. It ne me laisse pas tranquille. Mais fais le doucement, c'est l'ami d'Ermione." [Alexia, come save me from this conversation, please. He is not leaving me alone. But be gentle, he is Hermione's friend.]

Hearing Fleur speaking French, Hermione looked up from the books to the blonde and her name in the conversation made her more intrigued. She watched as Alexia walked to Fleur.

"Fleur! I've been looking for you!" Alexia said, looking at Ron, "Sorry to interrupt but our headmistress is asking for Fleur."

Hearing the words, Hermione was disappointed. She had planned to talk a bit more to Fleur but Ron had gotten in the way.

"Oh, it's fine. I…we shall talk again, Fleur?" He asked, scratching his neck.

Fleur only nodded before walking to Hermione and whispered in code "By the fallen tree" knowing that Ron was close enough that he might hear her despite whispering. She winked at Hermione then turned around, following Alexia out of the library.

Understanding lit up in Hermione's eyes and she smiled.

"What did she say to you?" asked Ron, intrigued.

Rolling her eyes internally, Hermione replied, "She was telling me the title of a book"

"A book? What type of book would be called "by the fallen tree?" puzzled Ron.

"I have no idea. I guess I'll have to look for it to know," shrugged Hermione, reigning in her irritation at the boy. She turned from the table to go back to the aisles.

"You are staying at the library?" he asked with a grimace.

"Yes, I have more research to do," Hermione replied without sparing him a glance.

"Well, I'm out of here," the redhead replied before walking out of the library, happy of his progress with Fleur.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Hermione walked back to the table as soon as she saw Ron exit the place and carried the five books on Veelas she had deemed interesting to Madam Pince to check out. Finally signing out all the books for loan, she put them in her magically extendable bag and rushed out into the corridors and out of the castle.

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Within twenty minutes, she was back onto the path towards Black Lake. Easily slipping between the large trees, she could faintly see the silhouette of Fleur sitting at their usual place. Finally reaching the blonde, she sat and scouted closer, rummaging through her bag to take out the books.

"Fleur! I loaned out these books!" she said, showing them to the French girl, "I am so sorry for Ron's behaviour." She apologised sincerely.

"Ah, no need to worry, 'Ermione" Fleur replied, taking a look at the books the brunette had brought. "It is ze annoying effect of my thrall on people."

"Oh, I heard about the thrall that Veelas have! It totally slipped out of my mind. Does it affect everyone? because I don't feel affected," asked Hermione, now understanding why all the boys drool or go stupid when they are in the vicinity of the blonde.

"No, some boys and girls are very affected by it and start drooling and make lewd comments. After a while, zhey stop behaving like dogs and try to woo me which is annoying because zhey sometimes do not take no for an answer. Ozhers get jealous and are mean, it iz mostly people not attracted to girls zhat feel zat way. If I make friends wiz someone, it takes a while but after sometime, ze thrall doezn't affect zem as much even if zhey still feel it. People zhat already like someone else feel my thrall at a minimum," explained Fleur, omitting the part about mates.

"Oh so it means that if I don't feel it, it means that it is either because of our friendship or I fancy someone?"

"Oui... but 'Ermione, did you feel ze effect of my thrall before becoming my friend? Because you didn't like me before. Maybe it was my thrall making you jealous?" asked Fleur, even though she already knew the answer.

"Jealous of what exactly?!" exclaimed Hermione, immediately going defensive. She wasn't jealous!

"Of nozing, 'Ermione. My thrall doezn't need you to have a reason to be jealous of me. I make people that do not fancy girls feel jealousy, no matter what."

"Oh so you mean that the girls that actually drool over you are girls that at least fancy girls and the girls that feel jealousy are girls that are strictly straight."

"Oui.... Now answer my question. Were you jealous? Because you hated me and were mean at ze start."

Feeling guilty once again, Hermione apologised, "I'm sorry for being mean at the start. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't hate you." Seeing Fleur nod, Hermione continued, "but no, I didn't feel jealous at all."

"So it means you like someone zen?" prompted Fleur, hoping that it would send the girl into thoughts and maybe they would pinpoint at her. Fleur knew that even if Hermione didn't like anyone, she would still not feel her thrall for she was her mate.

"You think?!" asked the Gryffindor, scrunched her eyebrows in concentration. "Maybe Ron. He has fancied me for a while really. Maybe I’m just waiting on him to make a move?"

The news was like a blow to the stomach to Fleur and her knuckles turned white as she felt her nails digging into the flesh of her palm. She already didn't like the redhead because of the way he was annoying and set on trying to seduce her but now she was starting to hate the ginger top. Not only was he her rival for Hermione's affections but he behaved and spoke disrespectfully to the brunette, even daring to pursue another woman right in front of her eyes. Hermione deserved love, loyalty, respect and all the effort one could put in courting her.

"Do…do you love him?" asked Fleur hesitantly. She hadn't wanted to ask that question, fearing the answer but she had to know…  _ I 'ave to know if I 'ave ze chance. _

"I…I…."  _ Say no please,  _ Fleur pleaded in her heart as she watched Hermione stammer, "I don't know…" huffed Hermione, annoyed at not knowing, "He is one of my best friends. Sometimes he is fine but he is annoying most of the time. Despite fancying me for so long, he hasn’t made a move to ask me out. He makes me…makes me feel like I'm not good enough, that I'm just an average looking, boring bookworm and that I should consider myself lucky that he is around, like he is, kind of, doing me a favour." Hermione said, revealing her frustration at the redhead, eyes full of hurt.

"Oh 'Ermione", was all Fleur could manage as she wrapped her arms around her upset brown-eyed wonder. She was going to kill that redhead. If he had still been in front of her, she would have hexed him all the way to Antarctica! Looking down at the Gryffindor who had her face buried in her neck, she brought her hand up and cupped the delicate chin, pulling to get the brunette to look at her. "You are not zhat at all. You are a very beautiful girl and you are not a boring bookworm, it makes you more attractive as you 'ave a beautiful mind as well." Fleur whispered sincerely.

Gazing into the cerulean eyes over her, Hermione searched into the endless orbs, trying to find if the blonde was making fun of her but all she saw was sincerity, awe and something else…something she couldn't define. "If you think I'm such a beautiful girl, why has no one at school ever been interested in me?"

Sighing, Fleur kept her eyes locked onto the molten chocolate ones of her love, "Most boys want easy girls zhat give in to zheir demands and are not bright enough to know better. Zhey want girls zhat do not demand much from zhem, becauze zose boys don't 'ave time for zhat, zhey don't do feelings and romance, 'Ermione and you are not ze type of girl zhat zhey seek."

"What you just said makes sense…" murmured Hermione, deep in thought.

"Ze reality iz zhat you deserve better, 'Ermione. Not someone seemingly interested in you with no qualms to flirt after someone else."

"He was coming on to you, wasn't he?" frowned Hermione, remembering how Ron had tried to hide it by whispering to the blonde.

"Oui and didn't I just tell you zat people who really like someone else do not feel my thrall too much but he iz obviously very affected by it a lot."

"So" Hermione's eyes widened at the implication, "so… it means he doesn't even like me for real…" voiced out the Gryffindor sadly.

Fleur was feeling bad to have made the brunette sad but she had to say the truth. Keeping it to herself would have hurt the girl more in the long run. That redhead git would have kept hurting her chocolate eyed wonder. "I'm sorry 'Ermione, I didn't want to make you sad…"

"No, no. Don't apologise. It is good that you are making me realise these issues before things progressed and got worse. Now that I think about it, I don't know why I think I like him. Maybe it is because he is one of my best friends and was the first one to fancy me?" pondered Hermione, trying to find the reason behind it all. "I should tell him that this is never going to work," said Hermione, "but I feel like he is not going to understand", she wrung her hands in frustration.

"Do what you think is right for you, ‘Ermione..."

"You are right. I'll talk to him soon" and with that, the two girls shifted their conversations to the Veela books Hermione had taken from the library.

The rest of the weekend was spent in a similar fashion, with the pair meeting up at the lake, Fleur already correcting a few things from the books that Hermione was reading. They separated only during lunch and dinner time, where Fleur sat at the Ravenclaw table, giving at least some of her time to Gabrielle, Alexia and the rest of the flock who explained to her that they didn't mind as they understood that Fleur was in her 'courting' period which sent the tall blonde into a blush.

ᴥ

Monday was a very exciting day to the whole population at Hogwarts for it was the day where they would announce the champions of the Triwizard Tournament at dinner. Hermione didn't really get the chance to talk to Ron because he was so excited about the Tournament, he kept on babbling about how he might be chosen as the Champion of Hogwarts and speculating on what the three tasks could be.

For once, Hermione wished she could just up and sit next to Fleur instead. They could have at least had an intelligent conversation on their class subject instead of just hearing Harry and Ron talk about everything that is not related to what they were studying. The day dragged on... Hermione hadn't been able to talk to Fleur at all. She had seen the blonde during lunch and had only managed a smile and nod in greeting which were promptly returned to her and now the blonde was seated quite a few desks away from her. She couldn’t even catch her after class with Ron around. 

Dinner time was finally here and Hermione couldn't be happier about it. She wanted to see Fleur again, maybe try to talk to her before going back to her Common Rooms after their meal. She was also anxious because she knew that the Champions would be announced and Fleur had put her name into the Goblet of Fire. It would seem that the nervousness was spread out in the Great Hall. Some people were near to the point of bursting in excitement, some were playing with their food, stomachs too unsettled, some were stuffing themselves, trying to get dinner over soon so they could proceed to the verdict. Hermione was one of those with an upset stomach.

Fleur, on the other side, was only slightly nervous. She was eating at her own pace, giving short looks at the brunette at the Gryffindor table who was playing with her food. Giving a smile to the girl when their eyes met, she frowned when the other girl returned a tight smile.

Soon dinner was cleared and Dumbledore stepped forward, gathering the attention of all students immediately.,"Students, the time has come for the Goblet of Fire to reveal to us the chosen Champions for the Triwizard Tournament." Flicking his wand at the Goblet, the students watched as the blue flame turned scarlet before spitting out a piece of parchment, which was switfly caught by Dumbledore.

"The Champion of Durmstrang is Victor Krum!" Cheers erupted all around as the man puffed up in pride.

"I knew it! I mean who else can be better than him at Durmstrang!" voiced out Ron, ecstatic that his idol had been chosen.

Another parchment was spat out of the flames. "The Champion of Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!"

More cheers erupted and Fleur felt her sister and cousin hugging her and patting her on her back. She graciously accepted the congratulations she was getting from her schoolmates and the Ravenclaws around her. Her gaze looked up to find the reaction of her Gryffindor but all she found was the brunette looking at her with a blank stare.

Hermione was shocked. She hadn't wanted Fleur to put her name for the barbaric competition, she didn't know exactly why but she knew that she hadn't wanted the blonde anywhere near the blasted Goblet and the Tournament itself and now her fear had turned into reality, the blonde was one of the Chosen Triwizard Champions.

The last parchment erupted from the reddish fire, "The Champion of Hogwarts is Harry Potter!"

The name of her friend snapped her out of her daze. Didn't Harry say that he wasn't interested in the Tournament? She had clearly seen him refuse to put his name on the day Ron had submitted his. Turning to look at the reaction of his friend, she saw his face only reflecting shock.

"Hmm Harry, didn't you say that you weren't going to submit your name?" asked Hermione, contemplating on the stunned face of his friend.

"Mione, I didn'…" Harry started to explain.

"What?!" spewed Ron viciously, cutting Harry's speech, "You told me you didn't put your name in! Why would you do it behind my back!? We could have easily done it together! Unless…" Ron's face went contemplative "unless you found a way to make the cup choose you! That's it, right? That's why you didn't say anything to anyone!"

"Ron…" Harry tried to explain, shocked at the reaction of his best friend only to be interrupted again.

"Now that the Goblet has decided its Champions, I would like to ask for those chosen to please follow Professor McGonagall here for further details and instructions pertaining to the Tournament itself," instructed Dumbledore, pointing at the Transfiguration Professor.

Harry wanted so badly to explain to his friends that he hadn't submitted his name but McGonagall was already standing at the door leading to the adjoining chamber. He could see that Krum and Fleur had already stood up and were making their way towards the Head of his House. Looking pleadingly at Hermione, he found the brunette nodding in understanding and mouthing 'later'. Thankful, he gave a last glance at his fuming best friend before walking to the door as well.

Hermione watched as the three champions disappeared behind the door with Professor McGonagall, not without Fleur sending her a last look, giving her a smile. After the door closed behind them, Hermione sighed. She had decided to talk to Ron after the announcement of the Champions but in the state the redhead was right now, it wasn't an option. She watched as Ron got up from his seat and stormed out of the Great Hall. She had also planned to talk to the French girl after her discussion with Ron but it looked like that plan as well was down the drain. The blonde was busy with the Tournament.

Getting up from the table, she walked back to her dorm, disappointed in the day, confused about what exactly she was feeling now that not one but two important persons to her had been chosen for the deadly competition. Her heart sat heavily in her chest all night.

ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment and share your thoughts! I'd appreciate it a lot, it helps keep me writing :) ~ Sky


	6. Texting and Training

**Texting and Training**

Fleur was in a sour mood. With the registration of the Champions, photoshoots to get their picture in the Triwizard Book of Centuries, the Weighing of Wands as well as regular classes, Fleur hadn't seen Hermione at all, for a full week! except for a few smiles, waves and glances during meals. Today was Saturday and she was totally hell-bent on meeting her Hermione, come hell and high water. She'll blast everyone who tries to come in her path to oblivion!

She was also pissed because she had slept till late and had missed her brown-eyed wonder at breakfast. Thankfully, Alexia and Gabrielle had come to wake her up afterwards or she would have spent the whole day sleeping. The Tournament hadn't yet started, yet all the procedures associated with it were so tiring. She was eager to be over with it.

Walking towards the library, she hoped that the brunette was there. She had come up with a way to stay in contact with her girl, with not being sure how the coming days would be. For all she knew, it could be a week again before she saw her other half and that was not good enough for her, she had to stay in contact! As she stepped into the library, her heart rate increased, alerting her of the presence of the Gryffindor and yes, there she was, pulling books out of a tall bookcase. Fleur smiled at the cute image of Hermione on her tiptoes, reaching for a book high up.

"Need any 'elp?" asked Fleur as she approached the brunette, not waiting for a response before reaching up to take out the book the girl had been reaching for.

"Fleur! Thank you," she said as the blonde handed her the book, "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm tired" sighed Fleur, "Zhese pre-tournament procedures are exhausting."

"Yeah, I heard about it. Harry has been complaining about it as well. Come, let's sit."

The pair walked to Hermione's usual table, well secluded from eyes that had been on Fleur as soon as she walked into the place.

"So 'ow waz your week, 'Ermione? I missed our conversations," said Fleur as she seated herself.

"Oh, I missed them too. I have read the books I took out on loan and it was so interesting! Yet some parts were confusing and I had so many questions to ask about it all but you were busy," replied Hermione, eyes twinkling as all the questions she had wanted to ask flew back into her mind.

"Oh, I wish I 'ad been zere to answer your questions but the tournament, you know," Fleur smiled apologetically, "I 'ave something to remedy zat zough." Rummaging through her pocket, the blonde took out a gold identity bracelet with thin cursive letters spelling _Hermione_. "I made zis for you" Fleur smiled shyly as she showed the bracelet to the girl, "you can add more charms to it wiz time."

"It's… it is beautiful…but Fleur…I cannot take it. It's too much, after the book." It was a beautiful golden link bracelet with charms attached to it, a tiny replica of her wand, the Ultimate charms book and the Gryffindor crest along with a grumpy cat face looking exactly like Crookshanks.

"Non, non. I 'ave to explain," said Fleur quickly. Looking at the confused face that Hermione was sporting, she continued, "it iz no ordinary bracelet, 'Ermione. 'Ere, let me show you." Taking the brunette hand into hers, Fleur slipped the bracelet easily onto the Gryffindor's wrist. "It can only be removed by you and it will slip easily onto your wrist. I have put a Protean Charm on it so zat we can communicate."

"I've read about this spell! It is a charm to link several objects together. There are various ways the objects can be linked. The more details, the more complicated!" said Hermione excitedly, fingering the jewellery.

"Ze spell iz in ze book I gave you. I'm sure you will have no problem wiz it," smiled Fleur at the intelligent brunette before resuming, "So you say ze password," Fleur explained, whispering the password to the brunette.

Hermione, eyes totally focused on the charmed jewellery piece, repeated the password Fleur said. She watched, fascinated as the bracelet slipped off her wrist into her hand and slowly transformed into a letter-sized parchment and a small crimson quill, "This is amazing!"

"So it iz yours. You can communicate wiz me by writing on ze parchment." Fleur removed a different bracelet from her bag, this one made of silver, "it goes to my bracelet and warms it up so I know I 'ave a new message. Each time you write something, just tick it at ze end and it will be sent to me. The quill doesn't need ink." Fleur explained, "And to finish, to return ze parchment to its bracelet form, say your password again adding ze word 'Finite' at ze end "

"It's brilliant, Fleur. That level of a charm must have been difficult."

"I practised. Also, I added one more thing to it in case you 'ave someone else use it one day. If you write to me, your name will appear on my parchment. If someone else does, zeir name will appear, not yours. Same for mine. Zis way, in case of emergency, you can give someone else to write to me and I will know it iz not you. Ze fact zat only you can take it off means no one can steal it from you."

"Fleur…" This was an amazing gift. Hermione knew that it must have required a large amount of effort and magic to make not one but two of those bracelets! She was amazed! To have someone go through so much effort to make her such a gift just because they knew she liked asking questions. She had no words. "Oh Fleur. I don't know what to say…."

"You… you like it?" asked Fleur timidly, giving a small smile to the happy Gryffindor in front of her.

"Oh Fleur, I love it!" Hermione exclaimed loudly, reigning herself at the last second as Madam Pince sent her an angry look. Instead, she settled on launching herself at the blonde and giving her a fierce hug. "This is the best gift ever! Together with your book of course!" she gushed, trying to keep her voice down.

"'Ermione, you are always asking me questions so it was easy to know what to give you. You are very inquisitive, it iz cute," Fleur blushed, ecstatic at the fact that the brunette was in her arms, " Also I wanted for us to be able to communicate, in case I 'ave anozer busy week like ze previous one becauze of ze tournament."

"Oh, thank you!" smiled Hermione, "Can we try it tonight?" she asked shyly, as she put back the bracelet onto her wrist "unless you are going to bed early. I mean if you are tired. Of course, you are tired, you just said it before! How silly of me…" 

"'Ermione." Fleur grasped the hand of the brunette to stop her rambling, "I would love to try it tonight, I cannot wait." She replied with a huge smile, erasing the nervousness of the brunette.

"Thank you," grinned Hermione, "so what is your plan for this weekend?"

"I was planning to start my training for ze tournament. It iz going to start in two weeks."

Hermione frowned, "I… I don't know how I feel about you participating Fleur. It is such a dangerous competition. It was cancelled for years because of a high death toll! I can't believe Dumbledore is allowing such a tournament to be held at school."

"Oui, I know but zis iz why I came 'ere 'Ermione, for ze Tournament. I was only allowed to come ‘ere so I could compete,” replied Fleur. "That is not a good enough reason to me," pouted Hermione, folding her arms onto her chest and sulking.

"Well, we can't change anything now. I 'ave to practice to make sure I don't get into ze death toll statistics," joked Fleur.

The joke wasn't funny to Hermione but she stopped herself from saying so. The two girls spent the rest of their day at the lake, getting Dobby to pack them a picnic, where Fleur and Hermione practised a multitude of spells together, teaching each other anything they knew. 

ᴥ

Soon, it was dinner time and the pair reluctantly walked back to the Great Hall and to their respective tables.

"Where have you been? I have been looking for you," demanded Ron.

"Hmm? I've been to the library and then out. Why?" asked Hermione, dishing some mashed potatoes onto her plate.

"It's the weekend. It's the only time we can go to Hogsmeade and yet you are nowhere to be found!" said Ron, his voice clearly showing his anger and frustration.

"You have been in a really bad mood for the whole week Ron, we haven't even talked. Plus we have to talk. We'll do it after dinner."

"I haven't talked to you because you have been stuck to Harry all week." He replied, annoyed, "What do we have to talk about? " his voice turned curious.

"Harry has done nothing wrong, Ron! He told us that he didn't put his name in, why don't you get that?! And I said we will talk about us after dinner." She argued forcefully, exasperated at the redhead.

"And you believe him?!" asked Ron, incredulously, "The Goblet wouldn't have spit out his name if he hadn't added it in!" he argued back, stabbing at his piece of chicken.

"Yes, I believe him. He has been our best friend for six years now, Ron. Saved our lives countless times, in case you forgot. Of course, I believe him. I trust him."

"Whatever." He replied, shoving the crushed piece of chicken into his mouth, muttering, _Women… too gullible, so easily fooled…_

The rest of the dinner was spent in peace with Ron more interested in shoving his food into his mouth. She was thankful that Harry had decided to have his dinner in the Common Rooms with Ginny. He loved Ron as a brother and was hurt at the harsh words and jealous and distrustful behaviour of the redhead.

ᴥ

After dinner was over, Hermione stood up, giving a smile and nod to Fleur who was watching her from the Ravenclaw table, before making way to the Gryffindor Common Room with Ron. She instructed the redhead inside an empty classroom just one stair level below the Gryffindor tower.

Ron smiled, "so what exactly are you planning, dragging me in an empty classroom?" he said throatily, a lust-filled and smug look on his face.

Hermione fidgeted uncomfortably from the look the redhead was sending her. "Ron… I have come to the conclusion that… you are one of my best friends… and" she paused for a few seconds and took a deep breath, "and I love you, yes… but as a friend… You get what I mean…?"

"What do you mean as a friend?" Ron asked, his voice rising in volume.

"I mean that I don't like you more than as friends, Ron. I value your friendship," She explained calmly.

"Is this because of my behaviour with Fleur?" asked Ron, running his hand in his hair, frustrated, "I'm sorry about that. She’s a Veela, her thrall affects me. It’s not my fault!" He voiced out, eyes softly pleading.

Shaking her head, Hermione sincerely answered, "No Ron, it's not about that at all. It's just not going to work between us."

His eyes flashed, no longer soft, "How can you know that it will not work if you haven't tried?" barked the Weasley, not believing that he was being dumped even before being in a relationship.

"That's it, Ron. I don't want to kiss you…" explained Hermione quietly, hoping that it would calm him, "I just want to remain your friend."

Ron walked forward and grasped her arm tightly, "How do you know you don't want to when you haven't even really tried?!" he growled, shaking with anger he was containing inside him.

"Let go of me, Ron" Hermione pulled her arm out of the grasp of the redhead. Taking a deep breath, "I am trying to do this peacefully. I don’t want anything more than being your friend, Ron."

Realising that he had lost control of the situation by grabbing the brunette, Ron reigned in his anger and apologised, "I'm sorry, Mione but you have to understand, you’re suddenly saying you are not interested."

Hermione sighed, "I know Ron, I’m sorry."

"But why? We haven't even tried yet. Why do you think it is not going to work?" asked Ron, frustrated, not understanding why the brunette was not willing to try and work it out.

"I… I thought I could feel something for you since I've known you for a long time and you are my friend, Ron but I realised I don’t. I don't feel anything with you. I feel our friendship but nothing other than that."

"What if I try harder?" persisted Ron, "I will become more attentive to you, we can go to dates. Anything you want."

"It is not that, Ron. I just don't feel anything. I'm sorry," replied Hermione sadly, feeling guilty at having hurt the redhead but also relieved to have ended it before it started and got complicated. She walked towards the classroom door.

"I'm not going to give up, Hermione," said Ron, making her hand stop over the doorknob, "I will show you that I am what you need." Stationary for a few seconds, Hermione shook her head gently before opening the door and walking out. _I don't want someone to show me that they are what I need. I need someone to show me that I am all they need…_

ᴥ

Having changed into her pyjamas, Hermione took her wand and transfigured one of her pillows into a tray, positioned in front of her headboard. She crawled into her bed and under her covers and laid down on her stomach with another pillow supporting her head. Taking off her bracelet, she whispered the password and watched it change into the parchment and quill. She placed them onto her tray and picked up the quill. Biting her lips, she thought for a few minutes about what to write before deciding on simple words.

' **Good evening Fleur** ', she scribbled, pondering for a few seconds if it was enough before deciding to leave it as it is and ticking it. She stared at the words, inked in red, getting more nervous as the seconds ticked by. After a few minutes, there was still no response. Disappointed, Hermione buried her face into her pillow and whined. When suddenly, she felt a warmth at her fingertips that were still on the parchment. Looking up abruptly, she watched as words started to get inked under her own line, in blue.

**F: Good Evening, Hermione. Sorry for the late response, just walked into my room :)**

Hermione smiled at the small smiley at the end. Fleur seemed to like smileys. After all, she had drawn them in her 'Ultimate Charms' book as well.

 **H: It is fine :) So what are you going to do now?** Hermione decided small talk was a good way to start, adding smileys of her own. She couldn't jump right into her story about what happened with Ron, though she desperately wanted to.

**F: I am making myself comfortable in my bed with my parchment and quill so as to better reply to a certain brunette.**

**H: Oh really, someone I know?**

**F: Oui, beautiful brunette, smartest person I've ever met, has the most brilliant brown eyes. Ring any bells?**

**H: No…**

**F: Is something wrong, Hermione?**

**H: I talked to Ron and told him we are best as friends.**

The news stunned Fleur for a while. She hadn't thought that Hermione would actually do it and so soon at that. _Never underestimate the Gryffindor courage._

 **H: Are you there..?** Realising that she hadn't replied and had left the girl hanging, Fleur scrawled a reply quickly.

**F: Yes, I am here.**

**H: So? You have nothing to say?**

**F: :) Give me time to write my reply, Hermione.**

**H: Sorry… :S**

**F: I hadn't actually thought that you would do it so soon so I was a bit shocked, that's why the delayed reply. How are you feeling?**

**H: I feel fine. A bit sad that I hurt him but relieved to finally be out of the limbo. After talking to you, I realised that it wouldn't work. I mean, we have nothing in common and most of the time, when we talk, we fight. As friends, it is alright but in a relationship, it doesn't work that way. He also makes me feel inadequate.**

**F: Yes, it shouldn't be like that. You did the right thing. How did he take it?**

**H: He didn't take it well. We ended up arguing until I put a stop to it. I don't think he understood me though. He said he is not willing to give up and that he will make me realise that he is what I need.**

**F: Oh Hermione, I'm sorry about that. The day you feel like you need someone, that person should be needing you a million times more.** _Just the way I need you… more than life itself._

**H: Do people like that even exist…?**

**F: Oh they do Hermione. They are just difficult to spot. They might be in front of you but you can't see it.** _Like me…_

**H: Well, if you spot them, point me in the right direction?**

**F: I'll see what I can do :)** _I'm right here…_ Fleur sighed sadly.

**H: :) By the way, do you know what will be the first task of the Tournament?**

**F: I have no idea. Does Harry know anything?**

**H: No. Harry is so scared. He never actually put his name in the Goblet. He wasn't prepared to be chosen.**

**F: He didn't submit his name?! Then… How?**

**H: I am not sure but I have my suspicions.**

**F: And what are your suspicions?**

**H: I know it might sound farfetched to you but I think Harry is in danger. Someone is trying to get him killed.**

**F: Why? I'm worried to hear that, especially with the fact that you are his friend. If it is true, then you might be in danger from just being around him.**

**H: It has always been like that. Long story of my years at Hogwarts. He saved my life a lot of times and I have always been by his side since the first year. I'll never abandon him because of the danger.**

**F: I'm not saying that you should abandon him. You are far too courageous and loyal for that. I'm just worried about you. If those are your suspicions, then I'll believe it and try to keep my eyes open during the Tournament. I'll help him.**

**H: You would do that? I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to do anything because I am not in the Tournament. There is only so much I can do for him before each task.**

**F: Yes, for you, I will do it.**

**H: I don't know how to thank you for everything that you keep doing for me…**

**F: Don't thank me. You are my friend and that's what friends do. It is exactly what you would do for Harry.**

**H: True but still thanks :)**

**F: Well, it is getting late now and no matter how much I want to keep talking to you, I think it is best we go to bed and meet up tomorrow? We can talk more about the First Task.**

**H: You are right. Our usual place?**

**F: Oui.** _Fleur smiled at the '_ **_Our_ ** _usual place',_ **Goodnight Hermione, sweet dreams :)**

**H: Goodnight Fleur, sweet dreams to you too :)**

Both girls whispered their respective closing passwords to their parchment and slipped their bracelet back onto their wrists before going to sleep.

ᴥ

The next day, the girls met up after breakfast and walked towards the lake where they spent the rest of the day practising more spells and talking about the things Hermione had learnt from the Veela books.

Soon Monday was back and the girls only managed to spend some free breaks in the library together and meeting after dinner till curfew, then writing to each other the rest of the night. Fleur had gotten an owl carrying a big package which revealed to be the books her grandmother said she was sending, a few titles like 'Veela's Mating Ritual & Effects', 'Physical and Magical Changes of the Mated Veela", 'The Veela Life Bond, Explained' and 'Guide to Being a Veela Mate'. She knew her grandmother had sent her those books for her to read but also to show Hermione, but it was too early for that. She will give only selected books that she has already read for the time being. No way, she was giving 'Guide to Being a Veela Mate' to the Gryffindor, it would shock her to the core.

The arrival of the packages made everything more official so Fleur officially announced that she had found her mate to the Veela flock of Beauxbatons, all part of the Delacour Clan. The Delacour Clan was the biggest clan in Europe, spanning all of France and a bit scattered in Spain, Germany and Switzerland. The Veela group who came to Hogwarts consisted of a handful of students out of the twenty-five of the Beauxbatons delegation, including Alexia, Gabrielle and herself. They all already knew about Hermione, which is why they have been giving her a wide berth to let her woo her beloved because usually, Veelas tend to walk in packs. They all congratulated her and wished her luck with her mate.

ᴥ

The rest of the week passed in a similar way with Fleur having her regular meetings and training sessions with Hermione but also adding a bit of personal training at night in the Forbidden forest, with the permission of Madame Maxime, of course.

The runs and surprise encounters with the creatures that resided in the forest was good training for her. She also loved stretching her legs in the forest, something she hadn't done for a while. It helped get her blood pumping and sharpened her reflexes in avoiding obstacles quickly. The forest was in itself a huge obstacle course with deadly beasts. She even had a run-in with the centaurs. She had bowed to them in respect and peace, after all, she was in their territory and after they had identified her as a Veela, the centaurs told her to use the terrain for training as much as she wanted. It was because the majority of Veelas live in forests and thus they are at peace with a lot of creatures and beasts residing within, like centaurs, unicorns, fairies and more. They share their living space with them and go to their aid when they are in need.

The week passed fast enough and Fleur found herself already in the next week. It was Tuesday and the First Task was scheduled on Friday afternoon. She had just found out from her Headmistress that the tasks would be dragons and she was walking to the library to tell Hermione about it.

She found the Gryffindor at her usual table, scribbling on a long piece of parchment with her friend Harry with her.

"Fleur!" Hermione had lifted her head and seen the blonde approaching.

"Ello 'Ermione, Ello 'Arry. 'Ow are you today?" asked Fleur, sliding into the bench next to Hermione.

"Hello Fleur, I'm not so good, nervous about the upcoming task. What about you?" asked Harry. Hermione had told him about her friendship with the French girl. He had been happy that the Gryffindor had apologised for her previous rude behaviour.

"I came to talk about zat, actually," announced Fleur, gathering the full attention of the Gryffindors, "I've just learnt that ze First Task would be dragons. Zey 'ave three types, ze Common Welsh Green, ze Chinese Fireball and ze ‘Ungarian ‘Orntail. We will pick one each at random."

"Dragons!" whispered Hermione forcefully, "Dragons!? What are they thinking?! Dragons are dangerous! The Hungarian Horntail is known to be the most vicious of them!"

Fleur just nodded. "Not that I'm not happy about the information but Fleur, aren't we competition?" asked Harry sceptically.

"'Ermione told me about ze circumstances of your entry in ze tournament and I 'ave told her I will 'elp you." Hermione nodded in agreement with a smile.

"Oh! That's great! I totally need all the help I can get," exclaimed Harry, relieved that he could now prepare for the task in the short time that he had left instead of just going in blindly.

"Ze Champions are allowed special permission to skip classes zis week, Harry. We should meet for ze rest of ze days and I can 'elp you wiz what I know about zose dragons."

"You would do that?! Not only tell me about the First Task when you had a clear advantage if you had kept it for yourself but also help me to defeat them?" asked Harry, astounded.

"Oui. After all, ze friends of 'Ermione are my friends," replied Fleur, waving away his astonishment. "We are also allowed to take a friend wiz us to help. Maybe 'Ermione would like to come help as well? Willing to skip classes, 'Ermione?" teased the blonde.

"Haha, telling Hermione to skip classes is like telling her to forgo magic!" laughed Harry at the fish impression Hermione was making.

Hermione scowled, "If it is to help you with the tournament, I wouldn't care. After all, this is a dangerous competition where you guys could die! Of course, I'd help to keep you both safe."

Fleur smiled at the determination shining in the brown eyes she loved so much, "so it iz settled zen. 'Ermione, do you know a place we can train?" asked Fleur, pondering "I don't want to train outside and give Krum hints of ze First Task if by chance he doesn't know. It's still a competition between me and him"

"The Room of Requirement!" Hermione voiced out. Harry nodded. 

"Where iz zat? Never 'eard about it"

"Meet us after breakfast tomorrow and I'll show you," said Hermione, "It is hard to explain."

"Ok. Right now, let's get you some books on zose dragons to learn more about zem and zeir weaknesses." Fleur proposed.

"Good idea!" replied Hermione. The Library? That was her domain! And with that, the trio went to peruse the bookcases for said books. By bedtime, all three had read enough about the dragons to have an idea of what they were going to face.

ᴥ

The morning was cold the next day, the mist hiding the horizon of the Black Lake. Fleur pulled her cloak tighter and walked to the Great Hall for breakfast.

She chatted with her sister and cousin throughout the meal while sending glances towards her beloved brunette. After breakfast, the hall emptied fairly quickly with students hurrying to classes.

Hearing footsteps from behind her, she turned and saw Hermione and Harry approaching.

"Good morning" greeted the duo simultaneously, like twins.

Chuckling, Fleur got up and replied, "Good morning to both of you. Shall we go?" She and Harry followed Hermione through the castle to a wall where she watched in curiosity as a door morphed into the bricks.

Walking inside, she was pleased to see it was a training room with enchanted practice targets.

"This is the Room of Requirement, it appears when you need it, shifting its interior to suit the needs of the person" explained Hermione, "Dobby told me about it last year."

"Amazing. It will do great for ze training. Shall we start?" Fleur asked.

The Gryffindors nodded excitedly.

"Ok. So we will start wiz ze Common Welsh Green. It iz ze easiest of zem all. From what you must 'ave read yesterday, you know zat zis dragon 'as two pair of legs and a pair of wings. Now ze two pair of legs make it very fast on ze ground so it likes to use zis to its advantage and charge at its opponent. You 'ave to avoid it at all cost. It also 'as a short fire breath range. Ze good thing about zis dragon iz zat it 'as 'ard skin that is resistant to physical attacks but weak against magic. So we are going to practice a sleep spell zat will make quick work of it."

Taking her wand from her belt, she demonstrated a gentle wand movement. "Now try doing this a few times. Make sure ze wand movement iz slow and lazy as you are trying to make something sleepy. Ze movement 'as to be somewhat 'ypnotic" she explained.

"Alright," replied Harry, copying Fleur's wand movements. When Fleur was satisfied with their wand work after a few minutes, she resumed her lesson, "now let me demonstrate." Repeating the movements, Fleur pointed her wand at a practice target and shouted " _Somnum_!" Blue sparks flew from her wand to hit the enchanted dummy target which fell down and started snoring before re-righting itself in its place a few seconds after.

For the next two hour, the room was filled with shouts of ' _Somnum_ ' and sparks of blue till both Fleur and Hermione were satisfied with Harry's spell casting. "Zat was very good! Now we move to ze Chinese Fireball. Ze Fireball used to attack villages, burning everything on its path. Because it iz highly resistant to physical and magical attacks, the Chinese had to come up with something to stop it. Zey found out zat ze Fireball 'as very sensitive 'earing and thus invented a firework spell zat confuses and scares ze dragon away."

"We read about it though the spell incantation was in Chinese. No help to us" said Harry.

"Yeah, I can't read Chinese. If the book had actually given any indication of how it was pronounced, it would have helped tremendously," sighed Hermione, thinking that maybe she should try learning a Chinese language in the next holiday break, though there were different ones... Mandarin, Cantonese…

Her thoughts were interrupted by Fleur, "what are you guys talking about?" she scrunched her face, confused, "zere iz a latin translation to it"

"Really? What is it?" Hermione was eager to know.

Amused at the eagerness always present in Hermione when there was something new to learn, "zis one is a brisk wand movement" she demonstrated a fast Z movement with a jab forward towards the target, " _Ignis Opus!"_ A stream of bright multi-coloured sparks erupted from her wand, encircling the target and exploding around it like fireworks.

"Wow!" exclaimed Harry, "Is that what Fred and George use in their firework tricks?"

"I have no idea," Hermione replied, already eagerly stepping towards her target and trying the spell, Harry joining her. Fleur walked between them, correcting their stance and wand movement. Three hours later, the two Gryffindors were adept at casting the two new spells.

"I'm tired" groaned Harry, sitting on the floor, "my arms are sore."

"It's already past lunch" commented Hermione checking her watch. "I'm hungry", blushing as her stomach growled in agreement.

Laughing, Fleur replied "I think two new spells are enough for today. We should go 'ave lunch. Zen we can 'ave some rest and come back to keep perfecting zem."

The tired pair readily agreed and that's how they all ended up in the Hogwarts Kitchen with a serving of beef stew while they conversed with Dobby.

“Durmstrang trashed Hufflepuff, Fleur. That means the Semi-Finals are Gryffindor-Beauxbatons and Ravenclaw-Durmstrang,” informed Harry as he finished his food.

“Hmm indeed, we ‘ave some time before ze matches though, I believe ze Semi-Finals are set after ze Second Task?” she asked. 

Harry nodded, “It is. We won’t go easy on you!” he grinned. 

“I ‘ave heard you are ze Seeker of ze Gryffindor team, it’ll be a good competition between ze two of us,” Fleur grinned back, accepting the challenge. 

After eating, they were all back to the Room of Requirement, resuming their spell casting practice until dinner time. Fleur instructed them to keep anything further for tomorrow and to go to sleep early tonight as tomorrow, she was going to practise harder spells. The Gryffindor pair agreed easily, feeling drained from their energy and magic from today's training session.

As Hermione settled on her bed, she felt a bit less anxious and a lot more confident in Harry's participation in the Tournament, now that Fleur was actively helping. It felt good to know that her best friend had an ally in the Tournament itself. She had been worried about not being able to do much from the sidelines but now, she would support the two with everything she had.


	7. Veela & The First Task

**Veelas**

Tomorrow came fast for them. Hermione was on her way down from her room, muscles still sore when she met with Harry in the Common Room.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked her tired-looking friend.

"I was dead to the world" he groaned as he rotated his stiff shoulders.

"Come on, let's go downstairs, I'm starving." Harry nodded and followed her down to the Great Hall. As usual, the Hall was bursting with chatter and clattering of forks and knives on plates.

They both greeted Fleur at the Ravenclaw table before they slid onto their bench at the Gryffindor table. Silently dishing mountains of food onto their plate, they both dug in with gusto, to the wide-eyed stare of Ginny who was seated across them.

"What has gotten into both of you, this morning?" the redhead asked.

"We are hungry," replied Hermione, spearing a piece of chicken onto her fork and popping it into her mouth, moaning as she chewed on the juicy meat.

"What she said," intoned Harry as he finished swallowing.

"What has gotten you guys so hungry?" Ginny didn't know if she should be worried or amused at her two friends. Sometimes their behaviour made her think of the twins, Fred and George.

"We have been training for my First Task."

"Oh! True. It's already Wednesday. Blimey, you only have till Friday." Ginny realised.

"Don't remind me," Harry grumbled, spearing his egg forcefully.

"Well, at least you are excused from classes till the Task," the redhead said, looking at him in sympathy. 

"I'd prefer a full week of potion classes with Snape than going into this Tournament." He announced, Hermione nodding in agreement.

"I can't believe Fleur voluntarily added her name" the brunette grumbled. She didn't get it.

"It is considered an honour to be selected by the Goblet of Fire," replied Ginny.

"More like a death sentence" In Hermione's view, that's what it was. The statistics proved it too.

"By the way, can any of you tell me why Ron is not sitting with us anymore?" asked the youngest Weasley, eyeing her brother at the end of the table.

Harry looked annoyed, "He is not speaking to me."

"Is this still about your selection as a champion? I thought he would have gotten over his petty jealousy by now." She scowled at her brother's immaturity.

"Umm, I…" Hermione sighed before continuing, "I also added to it by rejecting him."

"Oh…" Ginny was not so surprised, "what did he do?" It had to be his brother's fault, obviously. He could be a prat, sometimes. Ok, maybe most of the time.

"He didn't do anything. I just realised that I didn't feel anything for him other than friendship and that it wasn't going to work."

Ginny sighed, "at least now I understand his increased foul mood. I'm relieved though," she said, surprising both Harry and Hermione, "he was sooo not your type."

Hermione smiled widely at that, getting an answering smile from Ginny before they burst into laughter. Hermione was relieved. She had been worried about Ginny's reaction. She didn't want to lose her friend or make her choose between her and her brother. "Thanks Ginny," she reached out and squeezed the redhead's hand in thanks.

"Harry, as you know, The Weasleys except Ron of course, are backing you as Hogwarts’ Champion! The Gryffindors are behind you, even the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws. Except for those who weren't chosen, they are still grumbling about it. No support from the Slytherins, not that I expected any. They are pretty pissed that none of the ones in their House was chosen."

"Yeah, I heard the whining. I didn't even want to participate so they can't complain! Thanks for the support though, Ginny. I've had enough pats on my back to break my spine."

"Well, with the First Task coming soon, we haven't seen you much. I guess you have been busy. We were thinking of organising a party in your honour but I guess that'll have to wait till after the First Task."

"I'm not interested in a party, Ginny. I didn't even want to be chosen. I'm more concerned about surviving this First Task"

"Alright, we'll talk about it after the Task then," replied Ginny.

After breakfast, Hermione, Fleur and Harry walked to the Room of Requirement to resume their training.

"Today, we will tackle ze most vicious of ze three dragons, ze ‘Ungarian ‘Orntail. It iz considered one of ze most dangerous breeds of dragon and should not be underestimated. Its flame can reach up to three hundred and fifty feet and high enough temperatures to burn you into crisps." Fleur explained, pointing at a picture of the dragon in the tome she was holding.

Harry gulped, "I hope that I do not get it". Hermione nodded, "I hope so too."

"You don't know, 'Arry. You should be prepared." Fleur intoned. "Back to ze subject, ‘Orntails are very resistant to both physical and magical attacks due to zheir hard scales. Zhey are also extremely fast when flying. Zhere iz, unfortunately, no specific spell against zhem so we are going to practice two spells from your repertoire. Ze Confundio Spell and ze Accio spell."

"Why Accio?" asked Hermione, knowing the spell already.

"I 'ave heard zat 'Arry is ze Gryffindor Seeker and very skilled at flying. While ze dragon iz good in flight and I don't think you can outrun it for long in the air with a broom, it iz better to 'ave another option, should nothing work on ze ground. Wiz Accio, you can call your broom."

Both Gryffindors nodded at the explanation.

"Let's get to work zhen!"

They spent the whole day and half of Thursday practising their spells together. Fleur advised Harry not to use any more magic after their last practice to allow himself to rest and recharge for the Task the next day.

ᴥ

Hermione sighed as she walked back to the Common Room after dinner, accompanied by Harry.

"I'm so tired. I will take Fleur's advice and go to bed early tonight" yawned Harry, having trouble keeping his eyes open.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. I'm too nervous about tomorrow." Hermione whispered, coming to a stop in front of the portrait that takes her to the Head Girl Room. .

"I understand. Thing is, I'm so tired, I don't think I even have the energy to worry."

"That's good, you need a good night of sleep. I guess I need to find something to occupy myself."

Harry wished her goodnight and was climbing to his dormitory when Hermione called out.

"Harry, do you think you could lend me your invisibility cloak, tonight?"

Harry looked at her, perplexed. It was rare for her to go out after curfew unless for her Head Girl patrols, she was such a stickler for rules. He weighed the request in his head before nodding, "Wait here, I'll go get it."

Three minutes later, he came back and deposited it in the brunette's hand. "Here, take this too in case you want to avoid the teachers, not that you need it as Head Girl but just in case," he said as he handed the Marauder's Map to her.

"Thanks, Harry"

"Don't mention it and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Goodnight Hermione." His teasing parting words reached her as he climbed back to the Boys' Dormitory.

"Goodnight Harry." Hermione whispered back, smiling.

ᴥ

She managed to leave the castle, undetected. She had the Marauder's Map to thank for that. It would seem that Snape was patrolling the corridors and he was such a pain in the ass even with her being Head Girl. The air outside was extremely cold at this time of the night and Hermione wrapped the thin cloak tighter around her as the cold seeped into her body. In her hurry to get to the lake, she had forgotten to take her sweater with her.

She set out towards the lake. After the time she spent with Fleur at its shore, it had become a special place for her. On her way there, she noticed a glow behind the Beauxbatons Carriage, hidden behind the forest trees. Curious, she decided to investigate.

As she grew closer and entered the forest, she realised that the glow was actually a bonfire behind the trees. She could hear voices, mainly female. As she advanced, she pinpointed several Beauxbatons students sitting around the fire, recognising Fleur, Gabrielle and Alexia amidst the faces.

Deciding not to interrupt whatever they were doing, she turned around to walk away but accidentally stepped on a twig, which snapped and resonated loudly between the trees.

"Who iz zhere?" Fleur's voice travelled to her. Hermione looked back to see the girls scrutinising the horizons to find the origin of the sound, their wands out.

"Who iz zhere?! Show yourself!" Fleur called out, louder this time, annoyance laced in her voice.

Deciding to announce herself and apologise for the disturbance, Hermione pulled off the cloak. "Fleur, it's me, Hermione. I'm sorry, I was being restless and decided to go for a walk and got curious with the glow of the fire. I didn't mean to interrupt y..." she babbled.

"'Ermione?" Fleur got up and walked to the brunette who had just materialised out of thin air, "It iz ok, don't worry. What a surprise! Come sit wiz us." Fleur invited, taking the uncomfortable brunette's cold hand and guiding her to the fire, to a spot right next to her.

"Everyone, zis iz ‘Ermione Granger, brightest witch of 'Ogwarts. ‘Ermione, you know my sister Gabrielle and my cousin Alexia." Fleur pointed out at the girls sitting on a log, "Zis iz my cousin Quinn Fabray and 'er girlfriend, Rachel Berry," pointing at Quinn who was sitting in between Rachel’s legs who was braiding her hair, "and zis iz my cousin Brittany Pierce and 'er girlfriend Santana Lopez." indicating Santana who was sitting on the ground with Brittany in her lap.

Hermione blushed at Fleur's introduction of her and traded hellos with everyone. Fleur could sense the excitement coming from the circle at finally getting to meet Hermione. All of them already knew who she was to the Veela.

"So… What exactly are you all doing here? I mean, shouldn't you be resting for the First Task tomorrow, Fleur?" Hermione asked timidly, a bit uncomfortable at the eyes on her.

Fleur reached out to take the brunette's hand. She gave it a reassuring squeeze hoping to relax the Gryffindor, which worked.

"It is a Veelan custom before someone goes into battle. We all assemble and have a bonfire to bond," Quinn replied, pulling Rachel, getting her to walk to her front before making her sit between her legs and rest against her chest. 

"Oh, are you sure I'm not interrupting?" asked Hermione, timidly. Fleur's hand was still in hers and she realised she liked it there.

"No, you are not, we are pretty much done. You missed the others, they already went to bed. It’s just a bit out of the rules to have someone outside of the flock here,” said Quinn.

Hermione’s face quickly dissolved into fear and disappointment and she tried to get up and leave only to be stopped by Fleur's hand tugging back down.

"Hey, I didn't say that to get you to leave," Quinn quickly explained.

"What Quinn is trying to say is attending our rituals is a privilege usually restricted to family and mates." Brittany tried to clear any misunderstandings. 

"Mates?" Hermione was confused at the word.

Brittany quickly glanced at Fleur and received a hesitant nod in return. Hermione was intrigued at the silent communications. "A mate is the person a Veela will spend her whole life with, her soul mate. As you must have noticed, Rachel and Santana here are not Veelas but they are allowed in our rituals because Rachel is Quinn's mate and Santana is mine." She felt Santana's arms tighten around her waist as she said that and she snuggled deeper into Santana's lap.

"Your whole life?" Hermione's voice clearly showed her shock, "Uhm, no offence but how do you know you will spend your whole life with this person?"

"None taken," replied Quinn, "Now, Hermione, this is particular to Veelas only. Veelas have the magical ability to know at first sight who they are meant to be with. Some take longer to come to the realisation because they are not full Veela. For them, while the Veela inside them has already spotted the person at first sight, it takes some time for their human part to come to the same conclusion."

"So you knew just by looking at Rachel that she was the one?"

"I am only an eighth Veela so it took some time. The first time I saw Rachel, she was singing in the auditorium at our glee club back in the US. Her song pulled at my soul and I was left mesmerised. At first, I thought it was because her voice was amazing but after that, every time I saw her, I felt the same pull inside me. I was confused because I had never felt that way before. I only realised what I was feeling when I felt a wave of pure jealousy course through me when one guy asked her out." Quinn reminisced, bestowing a kiss onto Rachel's head.

"Wow…. What about you, Brittany?" asked Hermione intrigued. 

"My story is a bit different," giggled Brittany as she heard Santana grumbling behind her. "Quinn and Santana were best friends so after Quinn fell in love, she was determined to woo Rachel and Santana was supposed to help. Since I was Rachel's best friend, Santana's job was to get details about her from me. Thing is, she was a bully at school. I already knew she was my mate for a long time but was not happy with her being mean to people so I never did anything about it. First time she came to ask me about Rachel, she wasn't nice about it and made me cry. It hurts even worse than normal when your mate is the one doing the bullying to you."

"I said I was sorry already," grumbled Santana.

"I know, baby." Giving a quick peck to the Latina's lips, Brittany continued, "After making me cry, I think she realised she liked me. After that there were apologies, grovelling, taking me to feed the ducks. I also became friends with Quinn and helped her with Rachel."

"How did you woo Rachel, Quinn? If you don't mind me asking?" Hermione was fascinated by those girls' stories.

"At that time, I didn't know what answer Rachel had given to that guy who asked her out. I didn't hear her answer. Later I found out that she had said yes." Quinn groused, muttering "Fucking Hudson" under her breath. She only stopped when Rachel picked her hands that were around the brunette's waist and kissed her palms before putting them back around her.

"I was devastated," sighed Quinn.

"Yep, truly devastated" Santana groused, "blondie moped for days! Even came to my house and ate all my ice-cream!"

Quinn threw a glare at her best friend, "But after seeing Hudson with Rachel, I wasn't going to back down. Plus the giant wasn't even treating her properly!"

"A giant?!" Hermione was trying to picture the short Rachel next to a giant guy.

"Oh, he wasn't really a giant" Rachel slapped Quinn's arm, "he was just tall"

"Very tall! Too tall for you, that's for sure! After much drama and fighting with Hudson, she dumped him and agreed to be with me” said Quinn, grinning widely. 

"Wow. Really wow… I've never heard things like that. I have a question though. If I understand the Veela know who their mate is and will stay with that person forever but what about the mate?" Hermione asked.

"For the mate, it is zheir choice," Fleur replied, having stayed silent for too long in this conversation, "After having seen zheir mate, the Veela already starts to bond wiz zem. Ze Veela will try to woo zheir mate, like Quinn and Rachel. After zat, Rachel fell in love wiz Quinn as well and then Quinn told her ze implications of being in a relationship wiz a Veela, it is forever. Ze mate can accept ze bond. Ze first 'I love you' from ze mate does just zhat, and it iz sealed by a kiss. After ze kiss, ze bond is established on both sides and grows stronger till it is finalised by making love. A mate can also reject ze bond."

"This is amazing. So both Rachel and Santana accepted the bond."

"Without doubt. She is my only love," replied Rachel, turning to nuzzle Quinn's neck, kissing the milky nape in front of her.

"Britt Britt is my everything," Santana confessed, kissing her blonde fully on the lips.

"It iz very rare for incompatible pairs to be made. Legend iz zhat people were made in pairs, already made for each ozher but sent to Earth at different times in different places. Zhey were made to lose zheir memories of zheir mate and had to find each ozer by zhemselves. The veela did lose zheir memories but, by miracle, zheir hearts retained zhe ability to recognise zhem at first sight," Fleur narrated what her grandmother had told her.

"Now we can tell you more, Hermione but we need first a vow from you. It’s like an Unbreakable Vow." Alexia butted in, "all zhese things we 'ave mentioned are Veela secrets. To know more, we need zis vow from you zhat will stop you from telling our secrets to anyone else. Some things we cannot talk about as those are reserved for family and mates. Do you want to do ze vow?"

The unending thirst of knowledge that Hermione had wouldn't have allowed her to refuse so she accepted the offer, "Yes, I'd love that."

"Alright then, give me your right hand," Alexia instructed, offering her own, palm up.

Hermione eyed the offered hand for a few seconds before slipping her own hand into it.

"Britt, get a feather from Fleur," instructed Alexia. Brittany went behind Fleur and waited a few seconds before lifting her shirt a little bit and pulling something. Hermione saw Fleur wince before Brittany rounded back and gave Alexia a tiny beautiful silvery-blue feather with dark blue accents.

"This will leave a mark on your wrist. It looks like a tattoo, is that fine?" Alexia asked. Hermione nodded, eager to see what would happen. Putting the feather inside Hermione's wrist, Alexia took Fleur's hand to cover the feather up and started muttering spells in Veelan.

Hermione watched mesmerised as blue glittering swirls sprouted from under Fleur's palm, swirling around her arm. She felt a ticklish and warm feeling on her wrist.

As the swirls disappeared, Fleur lifted her hand, Hermione saw that the feather had left a perfect imprint on the pale skin of her wrist, an exact replica of the real feather.

Fleur took the feather in the hand and with a small incantation, a small hoop appeared at the quill of it. "I thought you might want a souvenir" smiled Fleur as Hermione watched the tiny feather levitate and attach to her charm bracelet.

"Thank you" whispered Hermione, fingering the soft feather while eyeing the feather tattoo which still felt warm on her skin.

"Now zat ze vow iz done. We can answer more of your questions, Hermione but it iz best we leave it for anozher time, it's late," said Alexia. 

"Alright, I suggest we go to bed, especially you Fleur. You need a good night of sleep for tomorrow. Pack up, girls," ordered Quinn.

"Do you wish me to accompany you back to ze castle, 'Ermione?" Fleur asked, taking Hermione's hand again. She could not get enough of touching the brunette.

"Ah, no, it won't be necessary, Fleur. I have the invisibility cloak. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, yes. I 'ave somezhing to give to 'Arry before ze Task."

"Alright then, good night Fleur."

"Bonne nuit, 'Ermione."

Fleur watched as the Gryffindor disappeared under the cloak and she waited till she stopped hearing her steps before she went back to her carriage with her family.

ᴥᴥ§ᴥᴥ

**The First Task**

Hermione breathed deeply, walking alongside Harry as they made their way to the Quidditch pitch, trying to calm the nervousness she was feeling. It felt like she was the one competing today! But no she wasn't but two of her friends were and she was so scared for them. Who decided the first task had to be dragons, anyway?! She wanted to go and give them a piece of her mind! No…wait! That would be too precious to give. A piece of her mind? Can you imagine how much knowledge could be stored in that piece? Maybe she could hex them into pigs instead? Ha, that would teach them! Then she would feed them to those dragons so that those pigs would know what it felt to be stared at as if they were a meal…

"Hermione, are you all right?" asked Harry, raising an eyebrow at the weird faces his friend was making since morning.

"Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?" she frowned. Harry just shook his head and continued walking till they reached a ring of tents a few metres away from the pitch. The Champions tents. They could already hear the uproarious voices, honking and shouts coming from students already seated in the Quidditch stands.

They both walked into the ring and easily identified Fleur's tent, a Beauxbatons flag flapping on top.

They heard rustling and Fleur emerged from the tent, dressed in some sort of leather armour. She wore a long-sleeved light blue shirt covered with a dark blue leather chest guard, with matching pauldrons. Her forearms were covered with gauntlets. Her legs were covered with skin-tight black leather pants that disappeared in her knee-high boots. Hermione’s eyes bulged out at the sight. How could someone look so good going out to battle?! Fleur and leather was an amazing combo. Attached to the blonde’s waist was a light blue sash covered with a large black leather belt, the buckle the crest of Beauxbatons, Fleur's wand already sheathed into the belt.

"'Ermione! 'Arry!" exclaimed the blonde, waving as she walked closer to the duo. "You 'ave finally arrived. 'Ow are you feeling 'Arry? Ready?"

Harry grimaced and shook his head, "I am not in a hurry to go in there." Hermione comforted him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand but we 'ave to go. Zere iz no ozer way. You can do it,'" Fleur smiled encouragingly.

"Champions! Please come forward!" Ludovic "Ludo" Bagman shouted. He was the government official of the Ministry of Magic, along with Barty Crouch who were charged to oversee the safe running of the Tournament.

Fleur, Harry and Hermione came closer to the man as they spied Krum coming out of his tent, wearing a red and brown uniform and bearing the coat of arms of his school.

"Miss Granger, you are not allowed here. This place is for the champions" Ludo pointed out, shaking the sac he had in his hand.

"Umm…" Hermione glanced at her two friends, taking a step back before she heard, "Let her stay, Ludo. Now proceed with the Champions" said Dumbledore as he walked towards them.

"Right. Each of you, starting with you Mr Krum. Put your hand in the bag and select your opponent." Ludo instructed, holding the bag in front of the Bulgarian who dived his hand inside and retrieved a mini Chinese Fireball dragon who snorted a small puff of fire at him.

"Excellent. Next is you, Mr Harry Potter." Hesitantly, Harry reached inside and picked up the first thing coming into contact with his hand, revealing to be a Common Welsh Green. He breathed a sigh of relief, it was the easiest dragon. 

"This leaves this one to you, Miss Delacour," said Ludo as he reached into the bag and retrieved a Hungarian Horntail miniature and placed it onto Fleur's palm.

"You will go in this order itself. First Krum, then Potter and lastly Delacour. Mr Potter, I advise you to get changed. Mr Krum, follow me." And with that, he walked away, the Bulgarian following.

Harry released the breath he had been holding in, "Thank god! I got the Common Welsh Green." 

"That's great Harry, it will be easier than the others would have been!" Hermione hugged him, happy that he had gotten the easiest one, "You, on the other hand," she turned to face the blonde, "got the most dangerous one" she whispered, eyes full of worry. Harry's face turned into a grim one.

"Ah, no need to worry, I can 'andle it." Fleur smiled, trying to reassure them. "Now Harry, go change. I 'ave left you a special uniform in your tent." she pointed out. Harry nodded before disappearing inside the Hogwarts tent.

"Are you sure you are going to be ok, Fleur?" asked Hermione, taking a step closer to the Veela.

"I will try my best," said Fleur honestly. She hoped that the training she had done in the Forbidden Forest was going to be enough. "Uhm, I 'ave somezhing to ask before I go…"

"Yes?"

"Would it…uhh, be possible for me to 'ave somezhing of yours to take to ze battle? For luck?" Fleur asked timidly, scratching her head in embarrassment.

"Oh! Uhm, I'm not sure what I can give you. Ah actually" Quickly scouring through her cloak pockets, she pulled out a red handkerchief with HJG embroidered on it, "It's all I have on me that I can give you." Hermione explained shyly.

"It iz plenty enough. Would you do me ze honour of tying it to my right wrist?"

"Sure" Hermione wrapped the handkerchief around the slender wrist in front of her and tied it with a nice knot. "Here," she patted the wrist as she finished.

"Thank you, 'Ermione. Now I feel I can handle any dragon!" she winked at the brunette.

Hermione stared at the blonde. She couldn't understand how the blonde was so relaxed when she felt like she was splitting at the seams with worry and fear.

"Hey…" Fleur cooed, wrapping her arms around the bushy-haired girl. She had clearly seen the fear reflected in the brown orbs and felt bad that she couldn't do anything to alleviate the fears of her Gryffindor, "I will do my best, ok?" she whispered, "now give me a proper 'ug just in case…"

The rest of the words were not uttered yet Hermione understood clearly. She wrapped her arms tighter around the blonde and squeezed. The smell of jasmine and morning dew enveloped her, making her feel a bit better.

"Now, go and sit in ze stands. You do not want to miss it." Fleur said, backing up a little bit yet keeping the brunette in her arms. She leaned down and kissed Hermione on both cheeks before releasing her.

Harry came out of his tent, dressed in a red and gold jersey and black pants and boots. Hermione quickly gave him a hug before walking towards the Gryffindor stands, turning to give them a last wave as she disappeared inside the stadium.

"Zis iz it," breathed Fleur.

Nodding, Harry echoed, "This is it. Thanks for the clothes."

"Do not mention it, 'Arry. It iz resistant to flames and shall protect you."

They both wished each other good luck before Bagman came to get them.

ᴥ

Hermione was happy that Ginny had saved her a seat in the front row. She wanted to make sure she could keep a close eye on Harry and Fleur and she needed an unobstructed view for that. Ron had decided to come out of his self-imposed exile and was sitting in the second row, behind Ginny. The Quidditch pitch had been altered to a new terrain, covered with black volcanic rocks, and large boulders scattered around.

"We are now officially starting the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament," announced Bagman from the Officials stand, flicking his wand, obscuring the arena down below by a thick mist. "On the jury, we have headmasters and headmistress of Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons respectively with myself, acting as the impartial fourth member of the jury based on the rules and regulations of the Ministry of Magic. The aim of the First Task is to retrieve the Golden Egg placed in the arena which is a vital clue to the Second Task. The Champions will face dragons as their adversary in their quest for the egg." He explained. "While the arena is open and destructible, rest assured that there has been a protective shield erected around it thus spectators are not to worry about wayward spells or destroyed foundations and walls as we have assured your safety."

"Our first contestant, going against a Chinese Fireball, is Victor Krum from the Durmstrang Institute of Magic!" Loud cheers and banging erupted from the stands for the World Cup player, especially from the Slytherin stand where all the Durmstrang students were located, the mist dissipating as he walked out of the tunnel. As Krum stepped forward, louder cheers erupted from the stands as they could see the Bulgarian clearer until a loud growling was heard, quieting everyone down. The boy pointed his wand at the direction of the sound, advancing slowly, trying to spot from where the sound had come from.

It took him one hour, running all over the place trying to avoid the claws of the Chinese Fireball, not successfully all the time, before Krum transfigured a nearby rock into a dog which started barking at the dragon, distracting it enough for the scraped and bloody boy to swipe the Golden Egg and make a run for it. _Not impressive but efficient,_ thought Hermione as she waited for the cheering and clapping around her to die down, the mist having returned onto the arena. She was getting more nervous as time passed by. She knew who was next.

Karkaroff lifted his wand to spell his score to the audience. He gave his champion a nine, Dumbledore a seven, Maxime a seven and Bagman an eight.

"The score comes to a total of thirty-one for Mr Krum!" A new wave of applause was heard before Bagman could continue.

"Next, with a Common Welsh Green as his opponent is Harry Potter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

Harry took a deep breath at the announcement of his name, nodding at Fleur beside him as he felt her squeeze his shoulder in encouragement. He walked down the tunnel to emerge into the Quidditch pitch or that's what he thought. The new terrain took him by surprise as the mist dissipated around him. He could hear the cheers and shouts erupting around him from the stands but he kept his focus as the mist vanished totally at the other end, revealing the Common Welsh staring at him with red eyes.

He gripped his wand tightly, pointing at the beast and shouted out " _Somnum",_ watching as the blue spark shot out towards the dragon until suddenly the dragon vied away, the spell missing it totally. A roar was heard and he found himself getting charged by the dragon at full speed.

He turned and ran, jumping over the sharp uneven rocks around him before hearing a melodious roar which made him remember the instructions of Fleur.

_Fleur: Common Welsh give out a distinctive melodious sound when ze are about to breaze fire._

He launched himself behind a boulder, narrowly missing the jet of flames that the Common Welsh had breathed at him, singeing the end of his hair.

He could feel the rumbling of the earth as the dragon walked around, confused to where its quarry had gone. He stealthily peaked from behind the boulder, seeing the dragon looking away from him.

Jumping out from behind his shelter, Harry shouted another sleeping spell, this time hitting the dragon squarely at the head, making it whine as it fell down. He breathed heavily, rooted in place to make sure that the dragon was not going to get up again before sprinting towards the Golden Egg and collecting it to the ear-slitting cheers and applause of the students. He gave a wave to Hermione and Ginny who were screaming like banshees, waving at him while jumping around and hugging each other. He didn't notice when the dragon beside him snored and snorted out a small jet of fire onto him. Engulfed in flames, he quickly realised he was not feeling the burn and registered that the clothes that Fleur had given him had protected him. Grinning happily, he proudly walked out of the arena.

Fleur ran to him and hugged him as soon Harry emerged from the tunnel.

"You did it 'Arry!" congratulated Fleur, happy that the boy had emerged without much of a scratch except small scorch marks on his protective jersey.

"Thanks! It was all thanks to you!" Harry thanked the blonde, hugging her back.

"My turn now," smiled Fleur before pointing out at a medical tent a few feet away, "Go zhere to get Madame Pomfrey to check on you. I ‘eard zhere iz a magic screen in zhere from which she iz watching the competition. You can watch me from zhere."

Harry wished her good luck and watched her disappear into the tunnel before he hurried into the medical tent. He wasn't going to miss anything.

ᴥ

Hermione had finally calmed down from her jumping and screaming after the amazing display of Harry. She could finally stop worrying for him for a moment. The jury had given her friend great marks, Dumbledore awarding him a nine, Maxime and Bagman giving out an eight while Karkaroff dished out a seven, bringing Harry to thirty-two points, one point ahead of the Bulgarian Seeker.

Now as Bagman was preparing to announce Fleur, Hermione was feeling a bit sick. Her throat was constricted and her stomach felt like she had swallowed live slugs. She instantly remembered Ron vomiting slugs in second year which didn't help.

"Lastly, we get to see the most vicious species of dragons, the Hungarian Horntail against which was pitted the Champion of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Fleur Delacour!"

Hermione's knuckles went white as she tightly gripped the edge of her bench. For a few minutes, she felt like she had entered a water bubble, the deafening cheers and clapping of the students in the stadium becoming a low buzz before she managed to regain her senses. Breathing deeply, she fixed her eyes onto the tunnel entrance which was hidden behind the mist.

ᴥ

Fleur tightened her hands into fists, waiting for her name to be announced. She was nervous as she had never done before what she was going to do in the next few minutes. She had learnt the technique years ago, even practised them with her Grandmother before. All Veelas learned dragon language in the Veela Village.

She had asked for special permission to use the Floo, to contact her grandmother, from Madame Maxime the day she had learnt that she was going against a dragon. The giantess had granted permission after learning that it was concerning the Tournament and had made everything available for her Champion.

Fleur had spent hours talking not only to her grandmother but also to her mother about the feat she was going to try to achieve. Her grandmother had been concerned first but had given her all the information she had needed. Her mother had just listened, worried for her daughter yet hadn't discouraged her from it for she knew, they all knew that the outcome of completing what Fleur was planning was an amazing one. Fleur had sensed the trust and pride coming from her Veela family that night and had taken all her encouragement from it. Now was the time to put all their teachings into action and make her family even prouder.

Hearing her name, Fleur took the cue to enter the arena, ending into a haze which started dissipating slowly around her. As the visibility around her increased, she noticed the different movement of the mist at the other end of the terrain, like being disturbed by puffs and breaths.

She relaxed and allowed her Veela heritage to take over, feeling it flow within her. She felt as her skin started tingling and knew ancient hieroglyphs had started forming, in fire red, on her skin, feeling it snake all around her arms to her collarbone, starting her partial transformation.

The dragon's roar broke everyone's daze as they realised the presence of the beast, fully visible now that the mist had disappeared totally, its neck covered with wide-spaced spikes with golden highlights on it. The black scales, on its body and wings, shining in the sun as it reared its trident horned head towards Fleur, eyeing the girl with its yellow eyes.

Fleur shouted in Veelan, " **Vin Al Mies Eld** !" creating a blast of showering gold sparkles towards the dragon. [ **Hear my voice and come forth** , **I summon you in my time of need.** ]

The Horntail roared louder, swinging its neck furiously dispelling the gold showers, breaking it, before throwing twin jets of fire at Fleur, who jumped out of the way. [ **Dragon:** **_I do not befriend so easily Veela, not those below my worth._ ** **]**

Fleur had predicted that, as dragons were wary and proud animals. She bowed down to say she accepted the challenge. The Horntail growled, running at her and swiped her with its sharp claws which Fleur dodged with a well-practiced roll on the ground, unsheathing her wand.

Angry at the quickness of its prey, the dragon turned its neck and roared out a heavy blast of hot flames towards the crouching blonde.

"Glacius!" Fleur uttered with intricate waving of her wand, creating a blast of frost, freezing the flames solid before they shattered like glass, scattering around. She stood up fast, running in the opposite way to create some distance between the beast and herself. The ground started shaking under her feet as the dragon started its pursuit, legs pounding onto the rocks.

Fleur had only enough time to dive behind a large boulder before the dragon swiped its head into it, breaking the top, scattering rock pieces all over Fleur. Crawling, she managed to get back on her feet, only to see the Horntail, swinging its tail onto her which caught her squarely in the chest, sending her crashing against the stadium, the small shield she had quickly erected around her, taking most of the damage.

"Fleur!" screamed Hermione in fear, the blood draining off her face as she ran to the edge of the stand box. The dust was settling around the area where Fleur had hit the stadium, breaking the planks and sending fragments of wood everywhere. She gripped the railing till her knuckles went white as she tried to see Fleur through the dust.

Fleur groaned, she had bruised her ribs for sure and her right shoulder felt dislocated. She could also feel wetness on her neck, she probably got cut when she collided with the stadium facade. As she painfully pushed herself back on her feet, she could see another tail attack coming her way to finish her off. She ran towards the dragon, to Hermione’s horror, when she suddenly jumped, somersaulting amazingly high over the swinging tail, twisting mid-air to land on her feet, facing the back of the beast.

The dragon roared with rage, as its tail hit the stadium wall, wiping it off but totally missing its target. It was furious with its quarry having escaped again. Flapping its wings furiously, it took off into the sky before diving towards Fleur.

Fleur watched as the dragon approached quickly. It was indeed really fast in the air. She called upon her Veela, feeling her wings rip through the shirt and leather on her back, completing her full transformation. Just as the dragon was going to reach her, she powerfully flapped her wings, rising higher. The dragon crashed heavily onto the rocky ground, creating a large crater, cloud of dust and debris surrounding it.

Hermione watched the flapping wings in awe. There were shimmering in the sun, a beautiful bluish silver. In this battle, with the armour and destruction around, it made Fleur look like an avenging angel.

Fleur looked on…waiting for the dust to settle down. Had she managed to defeat it? The ground suddenly started to rumble and the dragon burst straight up from the dust cloud, flying fast towards her. They collided, Fleur thrown up, crashing metres away. Fleur, groaning in pain, looked up from where she laid, seeing the Horntail circling the stadium from above, roaring out and suddenly started shining in blue. _It iz recharging itself!_ realised Fleur. Getting up, she ran and expertly climbed on the tallest boulder she could find, Fleur flapped her wings as fast as she could while muttering incantations with her wand. The air swirled around her, growing bigger and bigger till it formed a tornado. She sparked the tornado, turning into a huge fire column. Pushing it towards the dragon, she watched as the fire whirl caught the dragon, whirling it inside its core. With a flick of the wrist, Fleur inverted the flow of the tornado. The ground rumbled and cracked as the tornado spit out the dragon onto the ground instead of into the air.

The rumbling dislodged Fleur from the boulder and she slid down. The dragon took her moment of imbalance as an advantage and head-butted her, sending her in the air before she hit the ground hard, the crack of her left leg breaking ringing loud in her ears as her vision swam from the excruciating pain. Seeing the dragon was going to pound her into the ground, she raised her wand and shouted "Nos Retardo", the spell emerging as a burst of silver vapour, slowing time around Fleur and the Horntail.

Hermione was shocked at the light silvery mist, resembling a non-corporeal Patronus, which was enveloping Fleur and the dragon, slowing everything down from the flapping of the dragon wings to the settling of the debris around. She watched in shock as Fleur was not slowed down at all which the blonde used to her advantage, quickly casting a spell to her broken leg to get it to hold and carefully approaching the Horntail till she reached a close enough distance.

Fleur put the dragon between herself and the stadium walls. She breathed in deep, watching the dragon turning towards her in slow motion. She had to defeat it now, this was taking too much of her magic and she was too battered up to continue. Bracing herself, she concentrated all her magic into her wand and shouted "Atrox Vis!”

A huge red stream of force erupted from her wand, crashing into the Horntail, its power remaining steady as it pushed the beast hard and crashed it into the walls of the stadium, destroying the structure totally as beams broke and wood flew all over the place in splinters.

For a while, nothing was heard except the sound of falling wood. Fleur kept her gaze fixed on the hole in the stadium facade before she heard a whine coming from the dragon. [ **Dragon: I accept]**

A burst of gold streaming vapour erupted from the dragon and flowed in the air, swirling around and enveloping her. Fleur watched in awe as her body absorbed the magic, a warmth wrapping around her, till all was absorbed into her body.

Fleur grinned widely. She had done it, she had befriended a dragon. She had made a soul friend! She walked to the Golden Egg, picking it up to the deafening cheers of the crowd around her who had been stunned silent for so long, their hearts in their throats. With the Egg in hand, she limped towards the dragon, who had gotten up and was shaking debris off its back.

"'Ello" she murmured, grinning as the dragon turned to her and brought its head to her level before huffing in her face and gently butting her in the chest which made her groan as she remembered her bruised ribs. The Horntail whined in apology and Fleur just smiled, using her good arm to pat the dragon in affection, caressing the scales on its head.

-ᴥ-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are special spells that Fleur has. Her Veela heritage allows her access to more advanced magic:
> 
> [Nos Retardo- The spell slows time around the caster, while she moves at normal speed which makes her seem like she is moving faster.]
> 
> [Atrox Vis – Unrelenting Force, self-explanatory. A huge blast of force that stays unrelenting for a few seconds.]


	8. End Of First Task

**Vahriin**

Fleur retracted her wings, wincing as they merged back into her body. Soon she found herself joined by Hagrid and Madam Pomfrey who had run out to the field.

"Wow!" said Hagrid, watching the interaction between the blonde and the Horntail, "did yeh just tame tha' Horntail?!"

"Non, I didn't tame it, I befriended it. A Veela can make a soul bond wiz a dragon. It iz disrespectful to call it taming because it iz not a pet, it 'as equal standing in zis relationship," explained Fleur as the dragon huffed at the word "tame".

"Oh, I'm sorry" apologised Hagrid sincerely, worried that he had offended the dragon.

"It iz fine," said Fleur and was about to introduce the dragon to the caring half-giant when she was interrupted.

"Miss Delacour! You are hurt! Can we leave this for later? I would like to administer treatment first" scolded Madam Pomfrey.

Nodding, the blonde allowed Hagrid to lift her up and they made their way to the medical tent with the Horntail following closely, much to the fear of the Head Nurse.

"Do not worry, it iz not going to 'urt you. Vahriin, do not attack anyone, ok?" Fleur said, getting another huff as a reply from the dragon.

Hagrid was amazed at how the Veela was communicating with the dragon. He had heard just mentions about such things before but had never witnessed it. On the other side, Madame Pomfrey relaxed a little bit and was relieved when she entered the tent with Hagrid following her in with the blonde while the dragon stayed outside, walking to a corner outside the tent before laying down. "Vahriin Wah Fin Lein is her name. It means 'sworn to the world' " Fleur whispered, explaining to the large beaded man.

Hagrid nodded and deposited the blonde on one of the makeshift beds while Madam Pomfrey started bustling around the blonde muttering about '…ruining my previous hard work' under her breath.

The flaps of the tent were thrown open as a dishevelled Hermione burst in, panting hard. "Fleur!" she croaked out, as she shuffled closer to the blonde.

"'Ermione!" cried Fleur happily, excitedly lifting the Egg that was in her hands to show it to the brunette, "See, I managed to get ze Egg, ompff!" she was cut off by hands seizing her tight, crashing her into the chest of the Gryffindor.

"You scared me so much!" yelled Hermione when she suddenly felt something sticky on her hands. Removing them from the back of the blonde, she watched in alarm as they came back with blood.

"Miss Granger! Move aside! I have not finished with my patient" scolded Madam Pomfrey, butting in between the girls to spell out the blood from the blonde's back and the brunette's arms. Checking the now clean wound, she spelled out some stitches before moving to the dislocated shoulder.

"Now this will hurt but will take just a minute. Bite on this" she said, shoving a piece of cloth in between the blonde's teeth. Grabbing her wand, the nurse spell-pushed Fleur's shoulder back into its socket, ignoring the muffled groan from the blonde. Madame Pomfrey spelled the scratches all over the blonde clean and conjured a bandage under Fleur's jersey around the blonde's cracked ribs.

"Now the leg, I have to set it back as well. Then we'll cast it and give you Skele-Gro". The blonde's face turned into a grimace at that. Quickly muttering a spell on the broken leg, she watched it twist back into position, resulting in a louder groan coming from the blonde's throat.

"Done. This will take some time to get better and will be painful." announced the Head Nurse as she finished spelling a cast onto the broken leg. "Now drink these two" she gave the Blood-Replenishing and Skele-Gro potion flask to the blonde.

Fleur took the Skele-Gro potion first, guzzling it as fast as she could before washing it down quickly with the Blood-Replenishing one which actually helped a little bit…just a little bit…a tiny bit?

After her patient had been properly attended to and taken her medicines, Madam Pomfrey went outside the tent to help Hagrid tend to the dragon.

Hermione approached the blonde as soon as the Head Nurse went out. "Are you crazy?!" shouted Hermione forcefully, "what in bloody hell was all that?! And what were those spells?! And the wings? You…you...went after the dragon instead of the Egg! Couldn't you just, I don't know, try to get the Egg and run away!? Like everybody else?!" Hermione threw her hands in the air and ran them in her already dishevelled hair in frustration. " You were thrown into a wall! And then you got head-butted by the dragon! And why is that dragon outside the tent!?"

"It didn't go zhat bad, 'Ermione," started Fleur, trying to reply to the barrage of questions from the brunette.

"Not that bad?!" mouthed Hermione incredulously, "You are lying down on this bed with a dislocated shoulder and a broken leg, not to mention all the scrapes you have everywhere and you say not that bad?!"

Fleur winced at the Gryffindor's tone. It had been a while since she had gotten scolded like that. It reminded her of her mother after she got caught for her mischiefs. "Uhm, I did make a friend out of a dragon zhough," she whispered meekly.

Hermione stopped the frantic gestures she was making with her hands and looked squarely at the blond, confused. "Say what?" None of them noticed Harry entering the tent.

"I made a friend wiz a dragon" Fleur repeated animatedly, not able to reign in her excitement.

"How does someone make a friend with a dragon?! You mean, you tamed it?" Hermione asked, perplexed.

"Wait, what?" asked Harry, not understanding.

"'Arry! I waz just going to explain things to 'Ermione 'ere." Fleur pointed at the dishevelled brunette. "We do not call it taming, 'Ermione, it iz disrespectful. Vahriin will not like it. It iz making a soul bond wiz a dragon. Ze Veela can do zis." She explained.

"What was that magic you used? I've never heard those spells before," asked Harry puzzled. Hermione just nodded at the blonde, eyes glaringly asking for an explanation.

Fleur sighed, "Veela know magic, we are magical beings. With Veela magic and the general magic we all use, those spells were created a few years ago."

"Ehh, is it different from our magic?" asked Hermione, "and what is this soul bond?"

"Oui. Veela magic iz slightly different to ze magic we practice daily. For every spell zhat you cast, it iz cast wiz the magical essence inside you. Ze essence within you two is 'uman. Ze essence of a Veela iz much different than of a 'uman because zhey are magical creatures and thus that allows zhem to cast magic differently. Ze gold light at ze end was ze soul bond. Zis specific type of soul bond comes from a dragon. It means zat ze dragon has bonded wiz me."

"And why did you need the dragon to bond with you?" asked Hermione, sceptically, not understanding why all this was needed when Fleur could have just gone after the Egg."

"Because it iz a magical bond zat links ze dragon's soul to mine and zen I can speak to Vahriin by telepathy. We can sense each ozer and come to each ozer's aid." Then a huge grin erupted on the blonde's face. "I made a permanent dragon friend!" screamed Fleur gleefully.

The two Gryffindor jumped out of their skin when an equally happy, short and high pitch roar erupted outside the tent.

Fleur laughed which made the dragon outside start making happy sounds as well as if they were sharing a private joke.

"Hagrid, make it stay still!" ordered Madam Pomfrey outside.

"I’m tryin!" the Care of Magical Creatures Professor replied, running around the beast, trying to calm the beast down.

Fleur smiled and shouted, "Vahriin, let zhem tend to you." The Dragon huffed and blew a small flame onto the tent wall which caught fire easily.

"Oh my god! Aguamenti!" cast Madam Pomfrey, using a jet of water to put out the fire, which had already created a huge hole in the fabric. Vahriin poked her head through, looking at her soul friend and snorted.

"Ahahaha! You are so funny Vahriin!" laughed Fleur while two astonished Gryffindors looked on, eyes wide at the display.

The Horntail gave a low growl and pushed its head close enough for Fleur to pat it on the head before it retreated back outside, settling itself still onto the ground.

"Madame Pomfrey, She iz going to stay still now. Please 'eal her."

The Head Nurse grunted, muttering "it's about time…destroyed my medical tent" under her breath as she went back to treating the huge beast with Hagrid's help.

"That was awesome! Did you speak to it?!" asked Harry excitedly.

"She asked me if I waz ok, saying she waz sorry for 'urting me and zhat she will stay still, now zhat she 'as checked on me," replied Fleur, fondness laced in her voice as she stared at the hole in the tent.

"...Wow…first a gyrfalcon, now a dragon, next thing we know, you will start making friends with Acromantulas," said Hermione, awed yet exasperated and frustrated at the blonde.

"Ewwww, I do not like spiders. Zhey are disgusting!" Fleur scrunched her face in disgust and shuddered at the thought of those eight-legged, furry and ugly creatures.

And with that, the Trio burst into raucous laughter, breaking the worry and scare that was lingering in the air. Even Vahriin joined in much to the exasperation of Madam Pomfrey.

ᴥѱᴥ

**Celebrations…**

Harry, Fleur and Hermione later learnt that Fleur had gotten the most points from the First Task, with three nines from Dumbledore, Maxime and Bagman and an eight from Karkaroff, leaving the blonde with thirty-five points, Harry in second place with thirty-two points and Krum last with thirty-one points.

"Have you opened the egg yet?" asked Hermione to Harry, as they sat in front of the fire in the crowded Gryffindor Common Room. They had been ordered to go back to their towers after Fleur had been asked to tell the dragon to follow Hagrid and then Madame Pomfrey escorted Fleur to the infirmary.

"Not yet, it’s supposed to be a clue to the next task," replied Harry, eyeing the Egg he had on his lap.

Harry was jostled by two taps on his back. "Harry!" called out Neville as he walked in front of the boy, "that was bloody brilliant, mate! You came out of there with no scratch at all compared to the other Champions! If you do not count the burn, of course."

"Yeah!" Seamus butted in, "I don't get how they gave the Beauxbatons Champion more points. I mean, she got thrashed." He said puzzled by the jury's scoring system.

"But what she did was brilliant! She tamed the dragon! I'd give her a bloody hundred points for that!" gushed Harry, recalling Fleur's performance.

"Harry, you should not say 'tamed', Vahriin will not appreciate it. Fleur said to call it 'befriended'" Hermione reminded the black-haired boy.

"Ah yes! Sorry Mione, I forgot." He replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Wait, who is Vahriin?" asked Dean, looking at the Gryffindor Champion for an answer.

Seamus shrugged, "We'll talk about that later. Now Harry, won't you open the Egg! Come on Harry!" he urged excitedly.

Dean and Seamus lifted the boy onto their shoulders. The surrounding Gryffindors started cheering, "Harry! Harry! Harry! Harry!"

Harry, smiling, nodded and twisted the knob at the top of the Egg which split it open and a deafening screeching and wailing sound nearly ripped their eardrums. He quickly scrambled to close it back.

"Oww…" mouthed Hermione, bringing her hands back down from where they were protecting her ears. "What was that?!"

"No idea! That was horrible," said Harry, wriggling his ears as he noticed he was hearing everything low. He could see everyone around him testing their ears as well. Poor Seamus and Dean had been using their hands to carry him around and couldn't protect their ears.

"Man, I think my brain is leaking out of my ears!" exclaimed Seamus as he and Dean put Harry back down, 

"Mine is still rattling in my skull,” complained Dean. 

"Alright you two!" scolded Ginny, "we’re running late for the dinner party"

"What party?" asked Harry, not having heard anything about any party.

"We are celebrating the success and survival of all the Champions tonight!" said Dean, "and dinner parties for all three schools are being held in the Great Hall!"

"So we are celebrating that they didn't die?" asked Hermione, incredulous.

"Yeah" replied Seamus shrugging, "I think that's what it is, mainly"

"BUT! It is also a celebration for their successful completion of the task," explained Dean. "Anyway Harry, is Ron still not talking to you?"

"Yeah, he thinks that I didn't want to put my name together with him because I somehow had a way to get the Goblet to choose my name. I keep trying to talk to him but he is not listening. He is avoiding me and also Hermione because he thinks she is taking my side," said Harry, a bit sad but mostly annoyed at his best friend.

"Well, you know how it is. He will come around" said Seamus, patting Harry on his back in sympathy.

"Alright, less talk, more action. LET'S GO!" instructed Dean, pulling Harry with him with Seamus following while Ginny pulled Hermione along.

ᴥ

The party was already in full swing by the time the group went through all those annoying moving stairs.

"Would you look at that!" exclaimed Dean, taking the scene in.

The hall was decorated with the colours of the three schools. Streamers were strung all across the magical ceiling. Colourful party hats sat upon most of the students going around. Confetti was bursting regularly from the ceilings, raining down onto students while disappearing totally before they hit any food, since nobody wants confetti on their food. And talking about the food. There were piles of different dishes all around the place, food from the different countries. Party snacks, main dishes, huge decorated cakes, chocolate fountains, so many sweets, you would think Honeydukes Sweetshop exploded all over the place. Seamus eyed the snails being served as French food and shuddered.

"Ugh, how can they eat that? Snails," grimaced Seamus, eyeing the dish as if it was going to jump on him, "though it would be a good idea for a joke." Now that he thought about it…

"Ze French term would be 'escargot', it sounds so much better zan snails," said Fleur, hobbling towards them in her crutches.

"Fleur!" Hermione quickly rushed to the blonde to give her a helping hand. She took one of the crutches, propping it against one of the walls and put her arm around the slender waist to help the blonde move more easily.

"Merci" replied Fleur, grateful, eyes full of adoration for the caring brunette. _Elle est magnifique… [She is magnificent...]_ Fleur couldn't get enough of watching her.

"What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be resting in the infirmary?! You are hurt!" scolded Hermione, her gaze sweeping the blonde's body looking for any reopened wound and staring intently into the blonde's face looking for any sign of discomfort.

"They are still snails no matter what you call them and I am not going to eat that!" Seamus replied at the blonde's comment, breaking the connection between the two girls.

"Well, I do not eat it either. I find it disgusting as well." The French girl shrugged. She could smell the scent of lavender and honey and she wanted to rest her head against the brunette's shoulder and bury her nose into Hermione's neck for more of it.

Dean gapped at the confession, "How is that possible? Aren't all French crazy about those snails?"

"Well, I did try it" confessed Fleur, amused at all the disgusted faces that the Gryffindors were making, "but I didn't like it."

"Well good, because I don't think I can be friends with you if you eat that!" laughed Harry.

"I 'eard one of your friends vomited slugs in one of your school years," countered Fleur, grinning at the scrunching faces that erupted around her once more.

"Yeah. That was Ron" replied Seamus, when suddenly his face lit up like he had had a brilliant idea. "Hey Dean!" he exclaimed, "Let's take this plate to him. He might appreciate the taste of it!"

"Great idea!" and they took the plate and went to look for Ron, mischievous faces plastered on them, Ginny following them, not wanting to miss the prank on his annoying brother.

"So how are you feeling, Fleur?" asked Harry.

"I am feeling better. After much insistence on my part, Madame Pomfrey gave me a painkiller potion and some other potions so I could participate in ze celebrations. I am not feeling ze pain right now. Zhough she said I will feel it later." She explained.

"Let's go sit then. It is not good for you to be on your feet. Will you sit with me?" asked Hermione shyly.

"It will be my pleazure, 'Ermione," said Fleur with a smile. They all made way to sit at their usual Gryffindor place with Hermione helping Fleur settle onto the bench.

"Fleur, what would you like to eat?" asked Hermione, grabbing the blonde's plate.

"I would like some of ze Boeuf Bourguignon.," Fleur pointed out at the beef dish one pace away. It seemed the kitchen had gone all out again for the celebration, cooking French and Bulgarian dishes along with the usual British ones.

Hermione nodded and stood up, walking towards the dish. She then started dishing out the food onto the plate she was holding. "With bread or rice?" she asked for Fleur's choice again.

"Bread," replied Fleur, eyeing the brunette's actions curiously.

Hermione grabbed a few bread pieces from the basket next to her and returned back to her place, setting the plate in front of Fleur. "There you go," she said, seating herself back into her place.

"Merci…" Fleur whispered, greatly touched at the brunette's gestures. She watched as the brunette smiled at her in response before starting to get her own food.

Sometimes just simple gestures from her brown-eyed wonder would make her fall deeper in love. Her heart was fluttering in her chest at that moment and she wanted to voice out all her love but she reigned herself in. Trying to distract herself from her overflowing emotions, Fleur started to eat.

"Here," she heard Hermione say, hearing a 'plunk' onto the table which she found out to be a goblet when she looked up from her plate, "I poured you some pumpkin juice."

"Zhank you again"

"What happened with Vahriin?" asked Harry, munching on his own piece of bread.

"She iz at Hagrid's. I got special permission to keep her zhere. I didn't want zhem to put her in a cage." Fleur frowned at that, "She will also stay 'ere till ze end of ze year. Hagrid waz really 'appy about zhat" she grinned as she remembered the face the half-giant had made when Dumbledore had announced that.

"Ha, of course, he would be happy. Hagrid has always wanted a dragon. We had an episode of that in first year," said Harry.

"Yes, he told me zhat he loves dragons and he is ze Care of Magical Creatures Professor. I thought he would be perfect for taking care of Vahriin. My dragon will not leave wizout me and I 'ave to stay 'ere. So when I go back home, I will take her wiz me,” explained Fleur, spearing a piece of beef onto her fork.

"Hey Harry! Come see this!" shouted Dean from the other side of the Hall.

"Excuse me for a moment, girls," Harry said, grabbing his plate as he got up to see whatever it was that Dean wanted to show him.

"Fleur, I have to say it, thank you for including me in your secrets, with the vow and all," Hermione stated gratefully.

"To allow someone like you into our circle is an honour, Hermione," replied Fleur.

"Thank you for that. I can't wait to learn more about the Veela, especially about your transformation during the Task, the wings were amazing!"

"Zhank you. We'll talk about ze transformation soon, just not 'ere, in ze open. Now, I 'ave somezhin to ask you…"

"Yes?", Hermione watched intrigued as Fleur blushed a little bit, seemingly embarrassed.

"You remember I told you I 'aven't done muggle studies for years now," Hermione nodded, "I dropped it in ze first year itself. Well, I spoke to Madame Maxime if I could get into ze subject again and she accepted. I tried it but it seems I am failing ze subject," the blonde said, more embarrassed than ever when she heard Hermione gasp, "Madame Maxime said I can only continue if I restart wiz second-year classes or if I find a muggle studies partner to 'elp me catch up. I was wondering if you would 'elp me since we are in ze same class?"

"But of course, Fleur! Failing a subject is dreadful! I cannot let that happen to you!" said Hermione seriously.

"Oh, zhank you 'Ermione!" Fleur's eyes shined with joy.

And thus, they spent the whole party, just talking to each other, frequently getting interrupted with people coming to congratulate Fleur for the First Task and ask about her dragon.


	9. Back To Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was set in 2015 so kinda Modern AU so some gadgets/items will be of the modern era.
> 
> HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021 EVERYONE!!!

**Back To Normal**

It was finally the weekend. First Task was done and dusted. The party yesterday with Hermione had been great. The brunette had been amazingly attentive to Fleur, worried about her injuries. It was endearing. 

Madam Pomfrey had allowed for her to go to the party but only if she promised to take it easy during the weekend which is why she is sitting in the infirmary at the moment, getting her check-up done and a new dosage of potions.

“Everything looks to be healing perfectly fine but you will still need a lot of bed rest so no strenuous activity, you hear," the nurse pointed out. "Keep the activity to the minimum, so you can go for a walk but no running, swordplay or even shooting practice like you Beauxbatons lot have been doing."

Fleur nodded as she redressed herself. Bidding goodbye to the nurse, she exited the Infirmary into the hallways. Just as she was about to walk to the Beauxbatons carriage, she heard her name being called out from behind.

"Fleur!" Hermione called out, quickening her steps to reach the blonde.

"'Ermione! I didn't expect to see you," Fleur turned and smiled at the brunette.

"I didn't see you at breakfast so I asked Gabrielle about your whereabouts. She said you were still sleeping and had a check-up with Madame Pomprey around now. Is everything ok?" she asked, concerned.

"Uh hmm, ze Madame says everything iz 'ealing nicely and zhat everything should be fine as long as I don't do any strenuous activities"

"Ah, that's great." Then Hermione started acting shy, "Uhmm,… since you missed breakfast, would you…maybe…care for a picnic at the lake?"

"Zhat iz a magnificent idea. I would love to."

"Great! I already had Dobby and the others pack all the things we need. I shrunk everything," she said as she patted her pocket, "We only need to walk to the lake."

"I see you 'ave come prepared, ma cherie. Lead ze way zhen."

ᴥ

Hermione carefully helped Fleur to sit on the blanket she had spread out, mindful of her injuries before she pulled out a tiny picnic basket from her pocket and spelled it back to normal size. She passed on the food to Fleur before seating herself in front of the blonde.

"Zhank you for zhis," said Fleur as she took the sandwich handed to her.

"No problem. So how are you feeling?"

"I feel sore and it hurts a bit but ze potions zhat Madame Pomfrey gave me 'elp."

"I still don't understand why you had to go after the dragon. I mean you said you made a soul friend. Couldn't you have done that when it was back in its cage?"

"Ah but it doesn't work like zhat 'Ermione. Ze soul bond iz a mutual thing. I asked Vahrin for 'er soul friendship and dragons are proud creatures like Veela. Soul friendships are a big deal so she made me prove myself to 'er."

"And proving yourself meant fighting each other?" scowled Hermione at the explanation.

"It iz not always a fight. Ours was a demonstration of my strength for 'er to trust me to protect 'er."

"Ha! By beating her up. Like that makes any sense!"

Fleur shrugged, "Like I said, it iz not always a fight but when she refused my friendship by saying I'm not worth it and started attacking me, it was for me to prove my worth."

"What about the wings? I saw the likes of it in the books I’ve read but nothing did it justice," Hermione asked, taking a bite of the delicious sandwich that Dobby had prepared for her.

"Veelas have wings since zhey are born," grinned Fleur, reminiscing on some memories, "When Gabrielle was born at 'ome. She was a cute baby and maman gave her to me to 'old. I 'ad just been 'olding 'er for a few minutes when poof, she materialised 'er wings! They were all white and she looked like a cupid cherub. It 'appens to everyone. It is possible to seal ze wings until ze child grows older, but it is rare. Most Veela prefer to let zheir child grow along wiz them."

"Why do some seal it?" asked Hermione. She wished she was taking notes. It was all so fascinating.

"You know 'ow 'ard it iz to take care of a child, 'Ermione. Now imagine zhem wiz wings. Zhey can fly away if you take your eyes off zhem for even a second. Or worse, zhey do not know 'ow to fly well, so zhey could be flying for a minute and then hopla, on ze floor ze next. Veela spell out a barrier around zhem and a magical leash so zhey can fly and if zhey fall, ze barrier protects zhem and ze leash allows them to play around since it doesn't tangle wiz anything but doesn't allow zhem to go too far. It’s like a baby in a balloon."

"Wow. I never thought of that. Does it hurt when you materialise your wings?"

"When you are a bébé, it doesn't 'urt at all since your body iz very adaptable to change when you are growing. When you grow older, it does 'urt a little bit but not so much. You get used to it."

"So by saying used to it, you mean that you have done that transformation for quite a few times."

"Oui. At 'ome, playing wiz Gabrielle, doing races with Alexia and my cousins and when we all go to Veleaniss, it iz even worse, we fly all ze time."

"Veleaniss?" Hermione had never heard that word before.

"It iz a secret. I can't say much. Most people don't know about it. “Veleaniss iz ze main capital of ze Veela Nation, amongst ze ozher territories zhat we 'ave. It iz found in France. That's all I can say." Fleur looked at the disappointed brunette, apologetically.

"It's fine," murmured Hermione. She really wanted to know more, "What about the magic that you did during the task to slow time? Time magic iz very difficult, I've never heard of any witch or wizard able to do that."

"Ah, it iz not time magic," Fleur grinned as Hermione's face changed to confusion. 

"You are joking?! You slowed the dragon, even the dust around it moved at slow motion. If that is not time slowing magic, I don't know what it is," huffed the Gryffindor.

"Like you said, time magic iz very complex. Zhat spell iz more of a resistance spell zhan a time slowing spell. It increases ze resistance in ze fluid, ze air, in which Vaahrin was moving. It increases ze resistance so much, it feels like swimming in mud or even something denser, depending on ze strength of ze spell. Of course, it iz difficult to spell only a specific volume of fluid because if you spell everything, you slow down too. Get it?"

"Oh my god, that makes complete sense. I've never heard of such a spell."

"Zhat iz because it requires a lot of magical energy and it was created by Veela priestesses. Only we know it," Fleur laughed, "Now, you can't use it to steal things or do other crazy things because like a person swimming in mud, while zhey are slow, zhey still have zheir full faculties so zhey know what iz 'appening around zhem. It slows only zheir motion, not zheir brain."

"Why do I feel like there's a story behind this?" Hermione smiled at Fleur's innocent face.

"Well, I may 'ave used it before, not knowing zhat tidbit of information."

"Tell me!" smiled Hermione at the mischievous glint in the blue eyes in front of her. "I want to know!"

"Well, I was trying to steal ze wine from ze cabinet à la maison. My maman was sitting in ze room and was not going to move anytime soon. I did ze spell on 'er, grabbed three bottles of wine and dashed to my room." Fleur mumbled, embarrassed, "I spelled the room closed and I was already 'alf way through one of ze bottles when my spell wore off and maman came and cast the door unlocked! She hexed me and I was grounded for months!"

Hermione laughed at the blushing embarrassed Fleur, "Three bottles?!" she spluttered, "You stole three bottles of wine!"

"Well, yeah…" Fleur kept mumbling under her breath as Hermione kept on laughing. The blonde was happy she had made the girl laugh. It was music to her ears.

The girls spent quite a while just lounging in the sun until Hermione saw Fleur was getting sleepy. With that, she accompanied the blonde back to her carriage and wished her a good rest, in case she didn't see her for dinner. True to her guess, Fleur slept through dinner. Good thing that Alexia fixed a plate for her and brought it back to the carriage. With a belly full of food and her dosage of potions, Fleur went back to bed again, dreaming of soulful brown eyes and messy brown tresses. Sunday was spent similarly, Fleur loved to spend the weekend in Hermione's company. It was the best thing she could ask for.

ᴥ

Hermione walked into her first class (Potions, ugh) on Monday, not at all wanting to sit in Snape’s class for two full periods.

"'Ermione!"

She spun around to see Fleur walking towards her, "Good morning, Fleur! How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better, thank you," smiled Fleur, "do you 'ave a partner for Potions?" she asked. She has always seen the brunette get shuffled around. 

"Not really, we work in pairs so Harry and Ron paired up early at the start of the year and since there is an odd number of students in my class, I usually form a trio with different pairs every week."

"Hmm, I wonder 'ow zhat works since you said Monsieur Weazley iz not speaking to 'Arry at ze moment."

"True but they have to put their quarrel aside for Potions. Snape is not an understanding man."

"Zhat iz true. He iz a very vile man. I do not like him," Fleur grimaced at the thought of the Potion Master.

"That doesn't surprise me," laughed Hermione.

"Sooo… since you do not 'ave a partner 'Ermione, why don’t you join Alexia and I permanently?" asked Fleur, cautiously.

"Really? Alexia wouldn’t mind?" Hermione asked.

“Absolutely not,” was heard from behind and Hermione turned to find Alexia walking towards them. 

"Then, I happily accept," Hermione was touched at having people who actually wanted to partner up with her. It never happened before. The boys only enjoyed her joining their group because that meant they could sit back and let her do everything.

"Splendide!" replied Fleur, “let’s go sit zhen,” she pointed at their usual spot, two rows behind. They were just getting settled when a voice rang from behind.

"Oh looky looky what we have here, boys." The grating voice of Draco Malfoy echoed in the dungeon, making the girls turn around. As usual, the slimy Slytherin was flanked by his minions, Crabbe and Goyle, "Well, I preferred it much more when I didn't have to see your face during class, Miss Know-It-All. Not sitting with your master, the Scarface, over there?" He said, pointing out at Harry, who was seated next to a still pissed off Ron.

"Leave us be, Malfoy"

"You don't tell me what to do, Mudblood." He sneered at the brunette. He suddenly jumped at the clattering of a falling chair. He found himself looking at the end of Fleur's wand.

"You dare say zhat to 'Ermione…" hissed Fleur, her eyes changing colours to silver.

"Oh so the Mudblood found a half-breed to protect her." He didn't get the chance to utter anything else for he was sent flying back onto the desks.

Just then, the door slammed open and Snape walked in, his robes billowing.

"What is going on here?!" He shouted, approaching the groaning Malfoy lying on the floor, "What is the meaning of this, Miss Delacour?"

"He insulted 'Ermione," Fleur hissed, her rage shining in her eyes.

"I knew it had something to do with you, Miss Granger, as always. 100 points from Gryffindor." He half sneered, half smirked, "Goyle, take Malfoy to the Infirmary"

This awoke Hermione from her shock at seeing Draco flying off, "What? I didn't do anything!"

"Detention as well, for both of you. I'll see you in my office on Saturday at nine," sneered Snape.

"Vous savez bien que vous accusez la mauvaise personne, n'est ce pas, Monsieur Snape?" hissed Fleur, venom in her voice as her eyes shimmered. ["You know well that you are accusing the wrong person, isn't it, Mr Snape?"]

Snape clenched his jaw, anger in his eyes.

"Vous devriez redonner à 'Ermione, les points que vous lui avez retiré et annuler le retenue ce weekend." ["You should give back the points you have taken from Hermione and cancel the detention this weekend."] Fleur's voice left room for no discussion.

"You do not tell me how to conduct my class, Miss Delacour," growled Snape.

"Un de vos élèves, Serpentard en plus, insulte la delegation de Beauxbatons, insulte une Velane. Et non pas, n'importe quelle Velane, il insulte une des Delacours. Ne m’obliger pas à pousser cette affaire. [ "One of your students, a Slytherin on top, insults the Beauxbatons delegation, insults a Veela. And not any Veela, he insults one of the Delacours. Don’t make me push this issue."] You as ze Head of House, one would expect your Slytherins to be more intelligent zhan zhat, isn't it, Monsieur Snape. Not zhat it surprises me, from someone who didn't even know how to bow to a Hippogriff."

Snape gritted his teeth, before hissing, "Fine. I shall deal with it."

"It seems we understand each other. Please continue wiz your class." Fleur said with a tone of finality, seating herself.

"What are you all looking at?!" The professor barked as he walked to his desk, "back to your cauldrons! I want this draught to be done by the end of class!"

"I'm sorry that you got insulted due to being with me. I should have known that Malfoy wouldn't miss the opportunity. Now, because of me, you have detention as well," Hermione apologised, as she gathered the ingredients for the potion, "What did you say to him? I didn't know that Snape knew French."

"It was not your fault. While I do not like to be insulted, it iz ze fact zhat he insulted you zhat pissed me off," murmured the blonde, starting to chop the Allspice root into thin slices. "As for detention, we do not 'ave it. He cancelled it and will give you your points back…later."

Not getting a response from the brunette, Fleur glanced at Hermione, only to find her looking at her owlishly, eyes full of shock.

"What? Do I 'ave something on my face?" Fleur frowned.

"How did you get Snape to not only cancel detention but give me back the points as well? It's the end of the world!" Hermione stated.

Fleur and Alexia had to muffle themselves to stop themselves from laughing out loud. "Don't worry about it. Let's do zhis draught before he finds something else to take points or give detention for." Fleur said after she composed herself and with that, they concentrated on their potion. Hermione was pleasantly surprised at how efficiently they all worked and how knowledgeable the two French women were. With that, they finished first with a perfect draught much to the aggravation of Snape.

After class, they gathered their things and walked out, they had Muggle studies next. Alexia parted from the pair as she took a different subject. 

"Hey, Fleur! Hermione…" the sound of rushing footsteps echoed behind them and they were suddenly found in the presence of Ron Weasley.

"Hey girls," he tried to smile charmingly, "Where are you all off to?"

Huffing in irritation, Hermione replied, "To class, Ronald."

"Ah yes. Mind if I walk you guys to class?"

"We have Muggle studies Ron, which is not one of your subjects. You have divination, remember? And it is on the other side of the castle."

"Oh yeah," he replied, scratching the back of his head. It was hard for him to know what class he had next now that he was not speaking to Harry.

"Well, you should leave now if you want to get to your class in time, Ron. I need to go, I don't want to be late. Come on, Fleur." She said, grasping the blonde's hand and pulling her along, leaving a confused redhead in the hallway.

"I find it amazing zhat you take Muggle studies, 'Ermione since you are a muggle-born," commented Fleur as they walked into their class with both girls taking their seats next to each other.

"I find it fascinating to study it from a wizarding point of view."

"Hmm, I see ze point. It's like me when zhey talk about Veelas in Magical Creatures Class."

"Alright class," called out Professor Charity Burbage, trying to get the attention of her students, "Today, we are going to start working on a new muggle contraption, It is found in the 'Muggle Entertainment Chapter on page 73."

"Muggles have different things that they do for entertainment. Some of it consists in the use of certain devices" With a swoosh of her wand, items appeared on everyone's desk, a black rectangle block and a book. Hermione had to stop herself from laughing out loud. "The device in front of you is called a Nintendo DS, you each have one. There is already one pre-installed game called The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass in it. You will work as a pair and will need to clear the Temple of Fire level as next week's assignment. Now open your book and work it out. There are also some new books in the library that will help tremendously. Also, you will read that these devices have limited battery. Not to worry about that, they have been magically modified to have unlimited battery."

Fleur reached out and picked up the black device. "What is it?" she asked, feeling around it, "How does it work?"

"Ah, it is a game console," explained Hermione with a smile. She had been doing Muggle studies for a while now and it fascinated her each time she saw her classmates' reactions to things but she didn't know why Fleur's reaction fascinated her the most. At Fleur's blank reaction, she elaborated. "It is a device you play games with."

"Games? Like what, chess?"

'Well, yes, you can play chess. I don't think the game is installed on it though. As the Professor said, there is only one Zelda game on it."

The confusion on Fleur's face was amusing and Hermione couldn't stop her laugh. "I'll show you how to start it up."

Fleur passed Hermione her own device and watched in fascination as she flipped it open, revealing some kind of tiny black windows and some buttons.

"So you push this button to turn it on" Hermione pressed the ON button and watched as Fleur was amazed at what showed up on the screen and the start-up sounds it makes.

"It makes music. Is it a music box?" asked Fleur as she turned on her own device, smiling as it chimed the same melody.

Hermione smiled, "Not really but you can also play music on it. Now you take the stylus out. This is the stylus", Fleur noticed her pulling a short stick out, "The bottom screen is a touch-screen, meaning you use the stylus on it." She demonstrated by clicking on the game, "The top screen is not a touch-screen, it's only for visual so you cannot use the stylus on it." She launched the Zelda game, "Now, I'll write my name, H-e-r-m-i-o-n-e to create a profile so we can save our progress. We also select which hand we hold the stylus in. There we go. Now watch."

Together, they watched the cut-scenes, Fleur even more confused at the tiny colourful creatures that were in the box. She had never seen anything like it, "That's the most bizarre pictures I have seen and I 'ave watched muggle moving pictures, what do zhey call it…hmm, videos! What type of creatures are zhose, 'Ermione?"

"It's not real creatures, they are drawings, all fiction. Now see here, you are playing this game as this tiny guy here, named Link. All these texts are dialogue. To go to the next part of the dialogue, just tap the screen with the stylus. Now all these dialogue and videos show you how to play or give you hints on what to do. Now try it, I'll help you if you get stuck."

Fleur created her own profile, amazed at how the screen would not react to her fingers but only to the stylus, "It's like a wand! It does magic on the screen." She said excitedly, sending Hermione into another bout of laughter. Fleur was pleasantly surprised to find the video and dialogues to be all in French.

"Wow, yours is in French. Why is that? You don't have any issues with English."

"I don't. Zhis iz so zhat I cover ze class in both languages so I'll know ze equivalent French terms when I go back to France. It iz a requirement for our classes. Didn't you see my ingredient list in Potions both in English and French?"

"No, I didn't notice. It's amazing. Come on, let's continue to play, I'll help you when you get stuck."

They spend the rest of the class with Fleur trying out the Nintendo DS and Hermione giving instructions. An hour into it and Fleur had pretty much gotten the hang of it.

"Don't forget to go to the menu and save." Hermione demonstrated, "or all the progress you have made could be lost."

"Alright everyone," The voice of Professor Burbage broke the students' concentration, "That's the end of the class. Again, remember for next week, you'll need to clear the Temple of Fire level, you will also document your progress and write me a scroll on the story of the game, how you use the device to play it and how entertaining it was to you personally. You are now dismissed."

"And this is how you turn it off when you are not using it." Turning the device off, Hermione passed it back to Fleur before putting her unused one in her bag.

"Zhat was fun!" said Fleur, eyes shining with childish glee, "I love zhis game. The people in it look funny. Zhough why does he 'ave to break ze pots to find money. Nobody put zheir money in pots. Zhat doesn't make any sense, ‘Ermione. And ze people weren't angry when I broke ze pots in zheir 'ouses" Fleur mentioned, face scrunched in confusion.

Hermione just couldn't stop laughing.


	10. Horizons

**Horizons**

After class, the girls had gone back to their respective rooms to freshen up before dinner. Hermione checked herself in the mirror as she brushed her unruly hair.

She thought of how much has changed in her life with the presence of Fleur. She spends so much time with the blonde and absolutely loves it. It was the first time in her life where she had a friend she could speak about her interests with. Not that Harry and Ron were not her friends, they were just not the ones she could talk about her love of books, magic or education with. Nearly none of her friends shared the same interests as her. Ginny and Neville did listen to some of it but with Fleur, it was different, Fleur listened to everything like she had vested interest in what Hermione had to say. She felt like she had finally found someone who understood her, a friend who understood her to a much deeper level than her other friends. A smile unconsciously blossomed onto her face. Her musing was interrupted by Ginny.

"Hey, are you coming for dinner? We are kinda late," asked the redhead.

"Yes, let's go," Hermione replied, depositing her brush on her dresser before following the girl out of the room.

They chit-chatted on their way to the Great Hall. As they approached the door, Hermione was surprised to find Fleur standing there.

"Fleur! Dinner has started already, what are you doing here?" Hermione exclaimed. Ginny said hello to the blonde before going to find her seat, too hungry to wait.

"I was waiting for you," smiled Fleur.

Hermione was confused, "For me? Why?"

"I was wondering if you would do me ze pleasure of dining with me at ze Ravenclaw table tonight?"

"Oh Fleur! Of course!" Hermione answered, quite pleased about the invitation.

"Shall we zhen?" The blonde extended her hand to Hermione who took it without hesitance.

As they walked into the Hall, hand in hand, a lot of people's heads turned. Neither Fleur nor Hermione noticed. To Fleur, there was nothing more important than the feeling of Hermione's hand in her own. For Hermione, she was trying to understand the tingly feeling that was creeping up her arm from the hand that Fleur was holding.

They approached the Ravenclaw table and Fleur saw the grins that her family and flock were sporting. She gave them a "don't you dare" glare as she helped Hermione get seated.

"Thank you, Fleur," Hermione said as the blonde slipped next to her.

"Au contraire, I thank you for accepting my invitation, 'Ermione," Fleur replied, getting lost into the bright brown eyes in front of her.

"Uh hmm hmm," Quinn cleared her throat, grinning widely as she broke the spell under which Fleur had fallen. "Hermione, nice to see you again," she said with the rest of the table echoing the sentiment.

"Nice to see you all as well." Hermione greeted the girls with a smile.

"You have only been introduced to some of us. Let me get you introduced to the rest of our Beauxbatons group. The Veela are," Alexia pointed out, "Amelie, Christine, Rosalie, Celine, Annabelle, Angelique, Danny, Laura and Lola. The rest are Bea, Sabrina, Ophelie, Marianne, Odette, Ines, Adele, Lola's mate LaFontaine and Laura's mate, Carmilla.

"Hello, everyone, nice to meet you." Hermione said nervously. That was a long list of names for her to remember.

Understanding her expression, they all laughed. "Don't worry, we don't expect you to remember all their names so soon." Rachel tried to put the Gryffindor at ease.

It was more the light squeeze that Fleur gave to her hand under the table that put Hermione to ease and she laughed along with them, promising them that she'll try her best to memorise all their names.

Dinner was going great. Everyone at the table spoke to her, trying to get to know her better and included her in the conversation. They chatted about various topics, especially their schools, from Hermione telling them about the secret passages in Hogwarts to them describing the Beauxbatons palace to her. While most of them could speak English, some struggled with it but Hermione still managed to understand. She was also surprised to hear how diverse the French school was. Already she knew that Quinn, Rachel, Santana and Brittany came from America but it would seem that Laura, Carmilla, Lola, LaFointaine and Danny all came from Austria while a few others came from Norway and Poland. She was enjoying herself and she didn't think she would have been so relaxed with all these strangers-turning-into-friends if Fleur hadn't been beside her. She turned to the blonde in question and smiled.

Fleur returned the smile, "Enjoying zhis dinner?"

"Absolutely! Thank you," The Head Girl grinned before her face went thoughtful. She leaned closer to the pale ear in front of her and whispered, "Though, I have a question… I thought all Veelas were blonde…" She had noticed that Rosalie and Christine were brunettes while Lola and Danny were redheads.

Fleur laughed, attracting the attention of everyone, making Hermione's face heat up at the scrutiny. Something resonated in Hermione as she heard the beautiful laugh of the blonde. She felt a tingling sensation overcome her body and she didn't understand why.

It took a few minutes for Fleur to compose herself. Still chuckling, the blonde whispered back, "Ze majority of us are blonde here but if you were in our village, you would see we have all the different hair colours, skin colours, eyes colours."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it"

"I know, ma Cherie," Fleur reassured the girl, "I understand why you thought zhat we were all blonde. If you brought all ze Veelas together, ze majority of us ARE indeed blonde. It iz said zhat ze majority of us are blonde because once, a long time ago, a large group of Veelas flew too close to the sun, their hair bleached but it iz considered a myth."

Soon dessert was served and everyone dug into the sweet treats. Fleur and Hermione continued their talk, not noticing two pairs of eyes from different tables in the Hall, watching their every move.

ᴥ

After dinner, both girls went out for their usual walk to the lake.

"It's a beautiful night out, isn't it?" whispered Hermione as she stopped to gaze at the stars glittering above her.

Fleur looked at Hermione, illuminated by the moonlight, "indeed, it iz."

A light breeze blew, rustling the grass around them and Hermione shivered, wrapping her arms around herself, "a bit chilly though." She had her sweater on this time but it seemed it still wasn’t enough. 

"Come 'ere" Fleur took Hermione's hand, tugging closer.

The brunette followed the pull without hesitance and found herself wrapped in deceptively strong arms, back pressing into the blonde's chest and head resting against a strong shoulder as she was enveloped in warmth.

"Still cold?" whispered the blonde into the pale ear in front of her.

Hermione could do nothing but shake her head, words failing her. She could feel her heartbeat quicken as she relished the warmth of Fleur's body. The smell of jasmine and something uniquely Fleur assaulted her nostrils and made her slightly lightheaded. What amazed her even more, was the thudding under her ear… Fleur's heart was beating as fast as hers.

They were both silent for a while, soaking in the warmth of each other with Fleur feeling at peace with her mate in her arms while Hermione was lost in her thoughts, trying to decipher the reason for her racing heart.

A screech from above broke the quietness. They both looked up to see what looked like Artemis, flying towards them, a sack clutched in its talons. The bird glided down, allowing Fleur to snatch the bag before Artemis landed on a rock. Hermione felt surprisingly disappointed as Fleur released her in taking the sack.

"Hmm, it would seem my family sent me some goods. Let's sit and see what it iz," said Fleur, as she took Hermione's hand again and pulled her towards the rock Artemis was perched on. Plopping herself so that her back was resting against the cold rock, the blonde surprised Hermione by pulling her to sit in between her legs, "Zhis way, you won't be cold." She conjured some flames as well, for light and extra warmth.

Hermione's breath hitched as pale arms circled her midsection again, depositing the sack on her lap. She was intrigued to know what was in the sack but was more confused at the happiness that bubbled in her chest with Fleur so close again.

"Let's see… Books," The Gryffindor watched as Fleur took out some books, "a letter and a box of chocolate." The blonde opened the box and presented it to her, " 'Ere. 'Ave some."

Hermione looked at the delicately shaped chocolates and picked one, popping it into her mouth. Hmm, dark chocolate and mint…yum.

Fleur opened her letter and quickly read through it. It was her grandmother, telling her about some more books for her and Hermione. She decided to read the rest later. Picking up the books, she started reading their titles, " 'Lien du Veela Expliqué - Vol 2', 'Changement du Corps Velane à Maturité - Vol 2', 'Amour et Accouplement'," Fleur frowned as she listed out some of the titles, then she picked up some with English titles, "Introduction to Veela, Veela Mates, Learning French."

"Wow, that's quite a few books you've got there," intoned Hermione, quite interested in the ones with English titles, since they were the only ones she could understand, "what do the French titles mean?"

"Hmm, zhis one 'Lien du Veela Expliqué' means 'Veela Bond Explained', 'Changement du Corps Velane à Maturité' means 'Veela Body Changes at Maturity' and 'Amour et Accouplement' translates to 'Love and Mating'" Fleur translated to the Gryffindor.

"Aren't you supposed to already know all that?" asked Hermione, perplexed.

"Not really. The Veela way iz quite different. Zhese books can only be read by a Veela nearing maturity. I shall be turning eighteen soon, which iz ze maturity age for Veelas. It iz a complicated process and most of ze time, ze Clan 'elps ze maturing Veela through it but since I am 'ere instead of France, I will 'ave to go through most of it by myself or sometimes wiz ze 'elp of my flock in ze Beauxbatons Delegation."

"Oh!" Hermione was surprised, "Judging by the titles, you will undergo quite some changes, even physically. Aren't you scared of this happening with you so far away from your clan?" asked Hermione, concerned.

"It must be ze way it iz written in ze stars. Ze Veelas will consider my distance as a trial decided by destiny. Though, zhey will do their best to 'elp from afar, or get ze Veela 'ere to 'elp me. Do not worry about it."

"What about the other books with English titles? Feels like they are not for you, especially the 'Learning French' one. I expect you to be quite fluent at it already." Hermione teased, turning to look at the blonde.

Fleur smiled. "Indeed, zhey are for you, from my Grandmere." She watched as Hermione's eyes light up, "I told her how interested you are in us and our culture so she sent you some books. These are so much better than the ones you found in ze library."

"Oh Fleur! This is great!" exclaimed Hermione, turning back to pick up the books, caressing the spines of the tomes, "But what about the French ones about love and mating and such?"

"Ah, zhese are for me to consult in case I meet my mate. Everyone's experience iz a bit different and it iz all detailed on zhere." She lied.

Hermione felt a pinprick in her heart at the mention of Fleur's mate, "I noticed that the Veela with you all have female mates…"

"We also 'ave Veelas with male mates. Both are common within our midst, I cannot tell which one is more prevalent. Though, since Veela are only female, Veela to Veela pairing are strictly female. Those pairings will ‘ave only female children. Boys are born from Veela who are mated with males and the children, while different from the average due to the creature blood, are still not Veela."

"Hmm…" Hermione took a few seconds to gather the courage to ask the questions that have been simmering in her mind for a while, "who…who do you think yours will be? What would they look like? Do you think about it? Will you like how they look?" She turned around, wanting to read Fleur's expressions as she answered her questions.

Hermione listened as Fleur's breath deepened while her heartbeat quickened, thudding against her hand that she had, resting against the blonde's chest. Fleur looked deep into the brown pools she loved so much, pondering on the questions, "I think it will be a she. Her looks won't matter to me though I know she will be ze most beautiful woman to me. I'll take one look into her eyes and I'll know that I 'ave found my 'ome." Hermione's breath hitched at the husky and reverent tone in Fleur's voice and how the blue eyes in front of her seem to glow bluer, "I'll love her without limit, without boundaries."

The moment was broken when Hermione's watch alarm beeped, announcing curfew.

"Ah.." Hermione was feeling disappointed that the moment had been broken, "it's time to get back to the castle."

"Hmm…" Fleur felt stumped, "Let's pack up zhen. We don't want you to be late." They packed up, Hermione carefully putting her new books in her bag and Fleur walked the Gryffindor to the Main Entrance Door.

"I guess, I'll see you tomorrow?" Hermione said, or more like asked.

"I'll see you in class."

"Thank you for the books Fleur," said Hermione, looking down, scuffing her shoes on the floor.

There was an awkward silence for a minute, not sure what they were both waiting for. Hermione suddenly lifted her head, hesitantly looking at the blonde before hugging her and quickly disappearing inside.

Fleur stayed rooted in front of the door for five minutes, relishing the warmth of Hermione's hug that still clung to her body before she managed to get her legs to work and walk herself back to the Beauxbatons carriage.

Having a bit of trouble falling asleep, she played Zelda till her eyes closed by themselves.

ᴥ

"Fleur! Reveille toi!" [Fleur! Wake up!] squealed Gabrielle, jumping onto her slumbering sister.

"Oof! Gabrielle! Va t'en! J'essais de dormir!" [Oof! Gabrielle! Go away! I'm trying to sleep!] Fleur grumbled, burying her face into her pillow.

"Mais non ! J'ai été patiente ! Maintenant tu vas me raconter tous les détails. Est-ce que tu as fait des progrès avec Hermione?" [No! I've been patient. Now you are going to tell me all the details. Have you made any progress with Hermione?] Asked the thirteen-year-old excitedly, bouncing on the bed.

"D'accord," [Alright] acquiesced Fleur, rolling onto her back before smiling, "Elle m'a serrer dans ses bras hier" [She hugged me yesterday]

"C'est tout?" [That's it?] Gabrielle sighed and let herself fall over her sister's stomach "Faut faire mieux que sa."[You've got to do better than that]

"Tu n'en sais rien. Maintenant, viens. Il faut qu'on se prépare pour le petit déjeuner." [You know nothing. Now, come. We have to get ready for breakfast.] Fleur said, as she rolled Gabrielle from on top of her and got up from the bed, disappearing into the bathroom.

ᴥ

"Ah, we finished classes for today so we have the rest of the day free. What do you want to do?" asked Hermione, packing her things into her bag.

" Let's go see Vahriin. Zhen we can go to ze lake, then go 'ave dinner"

"That sounds fine."

"Let's go zhen. Off to 'Agrid 'Ut!"

ᴥ

They found the dragon very easily as it was sitting close to the forest beside the Half-Giant's hut. Hagrid didn't seem to be at home.

"Vahriin!" Fleur called out, quickening her steps until she reached the dragon. Vahriin growled happily in response as bowed its head down to allow the blonde to pet it.

Fleur patted it until she realised that Hermione was not beside her. She turned around, looking for the brunette."'Ermione, what are you doing over zhere?" She asked as she saw the brunette a distance away, "Come!"

"Uhm... I think I'm fine from here," the Gryffindor replied, eyeing the dragon hesitantly.

"Come on! Zhere iz nothing to fear! Vahriin knows you are my friend."

With a hesitant nod, Hermione started to approach the beast carefully. Fleur took Hermione's hand as soon as she was close enough and squeezed it for reassurance.

"Just pat her, she likes it," the blonde instructed, not letting go of her hand.

Hermione slowly lifted the free hand until she came into contact with the scaly head and was pleasantly surprised at how smooth and warm it was. Vahriin purred happily giving a boost of confidence to the Gryffindor. Soon, both girls were pampering the dragon, unafraid.

"She is beautiful!" gushed Hermione, drinking the sight of the dragon from this close. The gold highlights on the scales glittered in the sunlight.

Hearing the comment, Vahriin growled as it spread its wings, puffing her chest proudly.

Fleur laughed, "she says thank you and iz putting herself on display for you," she said, pointing at the wings.

Hermione was enjoying her time with Fleur and Vahriin until suddenly both Veela and dragon cocked their heads to one side in unison.

"What is it?" The Gryffindor asked.

"Shh," Fleur shushed her, reaching for her wand and pointing it at the forest, "Come out, whoever you are!"

The footsteps she was hearing, stopped. She waited with bated breath, until they started up again, walking in their direction till a figure emerged from the trees. It was Krum.

Hermione watched as Fleur's demeanour changed. The blonde lowered her wand only slightly and straightened herself up, her face impassive.

"Monsieur Krum, what are you doing in zhese parts?"

Krum walked closer, "I'm training," he said in a non-committal way.

Fleur slightly nodded, "Well, we shall leave you to it. Goodbye." She turned around slightly to Vahriin.

Hermione was perplexed at the exchange.

"You should be careful vith vat."

Fleur turned around again, "and what iz zhat I 'ave to be careful about?"

"Bringing Herm-own-ninny to ve beast."

Fleur cringed slightly at the way he said her beloved's name but answered calmly "Vahriin will never hurt 'Ermione"

"That's vhat you think!" He intoned forcefully, stepping closer.

Fleur put herself between the boy and Hermione, "It iz not what I think, it iz what I know."

"You know nothing. You do not have vhis beast under control. I cannot believe vhey allowed you to keep it."

"Iz zhis what zhis iz about? I seem to remember zhat Bulgarians believe zhat dragons are to be hunted."

"Not hunted. Dragons are to be conquered and it is pathetic that it has fallen into your wiles, a beast yourself. Bringing Herm-own-ninny close to an unchained beast is dangerous. Step away, Herm-own-ninny."

Hermione was shocked at the directive, "I trust Fleur's judgement and I believe that Vahriin will bring me no harm."

"As you see, we 'ave taken your concerns into consideration and made our decision. Now if you would please leave." Fleur answered, her face still showing no emotions but Hermione was sure she felt anger in her tone of voice.

Krum's face darkened, not believing how Hermione would trust a creature like her. Huffing, he turned around and stormed away, disappearing in the dark foliage of the forest.

"What in Merlin's beard, was that?" asked Hermione, flummoxed.

"Looks like a jealous boy to me. I do not wish to stay 'ere any longer, 'Ermione. Let's go to ze lake." Fleur replied, bidding Vahriin goodbye, "Stay alert on zhis man, Vahriin," before walking away.

"Jealous? Of what?"Hermione quickly patted a quick goodbye to Vahrin before she hastened to follow Fleur.

"Didn't you 'ear 'im? Dragons are to be conquered in Bulgaria, beasts in general. He iz just jealous of my dragon and not accepting of my heritage. He iz probably angry zhat he didn't think of conquering his dragon. Anyway, zhose dragons are free so he would 'ave never been able to conquer one. Ze ministry only brought zhem 'ere for ze tournament and zhen zhey were released. I only got to keep Vahriin 'ere because we 'ave a soul-bond."

"I find it quite distasteful that Bulgarian culture deems that dragons are to be conquered," Hermione replied, frowning.

"It doesn't surprise me. Few people 'ave respect for creatures, magical or not."

As they situated themselves back on their favourite log, with the trees around them sheltering them for any other student that could be in the vicinity, Fleur relaxed a little bit. The appearance of Krum had made her quite tense.

Noticing the slight tension still coiled in the blonde's body, Hermione decided to change the subject, "So, you mentioned yesterday night that you will be turning eighteen soon. When is that?"

"Ze first of Decembre." Fleur said nonchalantly.

"In three days! Why didn't you tell me earlier!? It's going to be so hard to get you a gift on such short notice," complained Hermione, already trying to come up with something.

"Don't worry about it. A gift iz not necessary. Your company will suffice," Fleur grinned at the pout on the brunette's face.

"Not fair, Fleur. It's going to be your birthday. Your eighteen one on top of that, with your Veela maturity and all. It’s a big deal. Deserves a good present," The Gryffindor whined.

Fleur laughed, the brunette was too cute, "seriously 'Ermione, it iz not necessary."

"Still, I wanted to give you a present," the girl huffed, crossing her hands over her chest, " By the way, isn't that too much of a short notice for you to read the books?" Hermione asked.

"Not all ze changes are immediate. Some are but I already know about zhose. Other ones take time and are different from individual to individual so I will 'ave time to prepare."

"Good. So what are you planning to do on your birthday?"

"Well, ze girls will want to celebrate which I am sure we will do after ze classes. Wiz zhat, we won't be 'aving dinner at ze Great 'All but instead in our carriage."

"Oh" Hermione was disappointed.  _ I guess, at least, I'll get to spend time with her during classes. _

"Uhum, and since I asked for your company, we shall maybe go to your dorm for you to get changed and zhen we will go to ze carriage for ze celebrations."

"I'm invited?" asked Hermione, trying to hold her excitement. She had never been in the carriage before. 

"Of course, what a silly question!"

"Thank you, Fleur." Smiling, Hermione gave Fleur another hug.

It soon approached dinner time. Both girls hurried back to the castle to avoid being late again. Hermione, this time, invited Fleur to sit with her at the Gryffindor table, not ready to part from the blonde yet. 

"Hey Fleur, how are you? Have you got any clue about what to do with the egg?" asked Harry as he slid into his seat.

"’Ello ‘Arry. I 'aven't looked into ze matter yet. We still 'ave time."

Both Fleur and Hermione were surprised to see Ron slide in a seat beside Harry. "Hello, Fleur."

Fleur only acknowledged him with a nod while Hermione frowned, "Well, hello to you too, Ron. Weren't you avoiding Harry like the plague?"

"I realised that someone was really trying to do Harry in. We're over it now," replied Ron, having a problem taking his eyes off Fleur.

"Brilliant," muttered Hermione, happy that the boys had resolved their problems but not ready to deal with Ron just yet.

Ron shook his head to clear his mind, it was the damn thrall of the blonde that was affecting him so much. He had been talking about the Veela to a few of the boys in his dorm and they had been talking about the effect of their thrall on them. While the blonde was a bombshell and he would love to shag her, she wasn't going to stay for long, only for this year for the Tournament then she’d go back to France. Earlier he had realised that he wanted Hermione more. He had to win her back but nowadays she always seems to be in the company of the blonde champion which didn't help his case every time he tried to talk to the brunette since the thrall would make him go stupid and paint him into a negative light to Hermione.

He had to find a way to talk to the brunette without the blonde around. What was with that anyway? Hermione prefers to spend her time in the library and not with any of the girls since she said they only talk about boys and make-up so why was she hanging out with the blonde? Boys and make-up are probably the only things in the blonde's life, isn't it?  _ And most definitely fucking  _ He thought lewdly. Or maybe the blonde was using Hermione to get close to Harry and weed out the competition. That must be it. He suddenly felt that it was his duty as Harry's best friend and Hermione's would-be-boyfriend to keep an eye on the blonde. It was most definitely her stupid thrall that made him look bad and made Hermione reject him. Hermione must have gotten tired of seeing him drooling at the blonde at the time. If so, Hermione would come back to her senses if he could get the blonde away from them. Yeah, he would make everything right again.

The coming weekend was a Hogsmeade weekend. If he invited Hermione, he was sure she would say no. She has been refusing him quite a lot these days. The thought made him frown.  _ How to get her to agree? _

Suddenly, he came up with an idea, "Hey Hermione, it's been a while since we went out as the trio. The three of us. I was being a prat for being angry at Harry when he didn't put his name in. So let's go to Hogsmeade together this weekend, what do you say?"

Hermione was surprised at the friendly invitation. She turned to look at Harry, finding him quite excited at the prospect of having all his friends with him again. "Uhm..."

"Oh, come on, Hermione. Like old times." Ron pushed.

"Uhm," Hermione hesitated but maybe it was a chance to make everything go back to normal again so she agreed, "Alright…"

Harry suddenly realised that they had not given any consideration to Fleur, who was silently having her dinner, "We can take Fleur along." He said, trying to be considerate.

"Oh yes," smiled Hermione, happy that Fleur would come with them.

Ron frowned, his plan wasn't going well. Why did Harry have to invite the blonde? "Uh, I think we should go as our trio. No offence, Fleur." He said quickly as he noticed Harry and Hermione's frowns, "it's just that I've been a prat to them and I need to make it right again. Bring our trio back together, if you get what I mean."

Fleur stared at the redhead. She didn't like the boy but she knew how much his friendship meant to Hermione so she nodded but she wasn't going to give up Hermione totally, "Hogsmeade weekend iz a two-days thing. What about I go with Hermione and my friends on Saturday and your trio gets Sunday?"

Before Ron could object, Hermione intoned, "that works." Harry nodded at the plan, "Great then, it's settled."

Ron dug back into his dinner, not happy that he got only one day with Hermione instead of two but he'll take it. It looked like he had a long road ahead of him to get Hermione back. The blonde's influence on the brunette was quite deep.

ᴥ

Her alarm didn't even get to finish its first ring, Hermione was already shooting out of bed. It was Fleur's birthday! She sprinted to the bathroom to get ready.

Thirty minutes later, she was dressed up and ready to go. She had work to do, stuff to prepare as a present for the blonde on such a short notice. Quickly checking herself in the mirror for one last time, she descended to the Great Hall.

As soon as she entered the Great Hall, Hermione scanned the Ravenclaw table, easily spotting the birthday girl.

"Happy Birthday, Fleur!" she exclaimed, hugging the blonde from behind before slipping in the seat next to her.

"'Ermione! Merci!" Fleur beamed, excited to be spending her birthday with her mate.

"Good morning, everyone." Hermione greeted her other table-mates as she served herself some breakfast.

A chorus of good morning erupted from the surrounding Beauxbatons.

"So Hermione, are you coming to Fleur's birthday party tonight?" asked Quinn.

"I am, I'll go change after classes before meeting you all at the carriage," replied Hermione, excited.

"Fleur! Happy Birthday!" Hermione heard behind her before Fleur was enveloped by an excited Luna Lovegood.

"Luna! Merci. Come 'ave breakfast wiz us" said Fleur, shuffling a bit so Luna could slide on her other side.

"You must be so excited for your presents! But be careful, the Nargles are quite mischievous to people on their birthdays and they love presents. There are quite a lot of them at this time of the year due to the mistletoe. They are always stealing my papers and shoes."

"Nargles?" asked Fleur, confused. Hermione was about to explain all the weird things that Luna sees but the blonde Ravenclaw interrupted.

"Yes, you know, the little furry balls with wings that stay in the mistletoe? Mischievous and love to play pranks on people?" Luna explained.

"Oh! Is that what you call them?" squealed Brittany, "We call them Poufpouf back in France! They are so cute! I didn't know about them until I moved to France. You cannot find them in America."

Hermione's eyes widened and she stared at Brittany as if she was an alien.

"Ah," Luna sighed dreamily, "that’s such a cute name for them! It would also be interesting to see all the different types of creatures they have in America."

"Oh, you would love the rubduckies, they are the cutest things ever. You pretty much always find them when you are taking a bath! They love water," exclaimed Brittany.

"I've heard of those. Sadly, there are none here in Britain which is a shame." Luna lamented.

"Yes," Brittany sniffed, causing Santana's eyes to widen and she pulled the blonde into her arms, "I miss them in my baths. It was fun times."

Hermione was more confused than ever. She thought it was only Luna that saw those weird things but now Brittany too?

"It's ok, baby. You'll see them again when we go back on holidays." Santana tried to comfort her.

"Anyway, be careful, especially since your carriage is close to the forest. There are more nargles over there." Luna cautioned Fleur again.

"Don't worry, Luna. I know how to deal with them" Fleur winked before checking on Hermione, "'Ermione, you 'aven't touched your breakfast yet. Be quick or we'll be late for classes."

Hermione had questions but she decided to let it go and eat her breakfast. She couldn't be late for classes.

ᴥ


	11. Off To A Party

**During break time, in the Beauxbatons carriage… [** _French in Italics_ **]**

" _So, you turned 18 today. You know what to expect at home,_ " said Alexia

" _Yeah, Grandma and Mom are probably going crazy for your birthday at the moment,_ " added Gabrielle.

" _Hmm, I know,_ ” sighed Fleur, " _It's not going to be a simple affair, I'm sure._ ”

" _Well, I can't wait for the party! It's awesome for Mom to invite the whole Beauxbatons delegation,_ " replied Gabrielle

" _True, it would have been sad to have to leave them behind when there is just us as a group here,_ " replied Fleur.

" _I suppose Hermione is coming. Grandma and Mom are expecting to meet her,_ " said Gabrielle.

" _Yeah, well… I managed to get permission from her parents through Professor Dumbledore but thing is… I haven't mentioned it to her yet,_ ” replied Fleur sheepishly.

" _What?!” exclaimed Alexia, "what have you been doing all this time?!_ ”

" _Yeah well, I was not sure she was going to say yes so I decided to ask her on my actual birthday. Less chance of her saying no to the birthday girl, right?_ ”

" _True…or she might just get pissed you asked her at the last minute,_ ” replied Alexia, squinting at the blonde. 

Fleur sighed again, " _Well, it's too late to do anything about it anyway. I hope she doesn't get angry at me and refuses to come._ ”

ᴥ

Hermione had some free time before lunch. Usually, she would spend it in the library but this time, she had an important meeting in the kitchen with Dobby and the other elves.

As she walked in, she was greeted exuberantly by the kitchen elves. "Hello everyone, thank you for helping with this." She said with a smile, "let me just send a message then we can get started."

She took a seat at one of the tables and took off her bracelet, quickly whispering the password to it and watched it turn into her parchment and quill.

**H: Hey Fleur, are you free to talk at the moment?**

**F: Hermione? Is something the matter?**

**H: Sorry to interrupt you. I was wondering if you would be willing to have lunch with me at our usual place today, at the lake?**

**F: But of course Hermione! I'll just walk right to the lake after this class instead of going to the halls.**

**H: Great! Thank you, Fleur! I'll see you there then. I'll leave you to your class.**

**F: See you then :)**

Closing the parchment back to its bracelet form, she slipped it onto her wrist with a smile.

"Alright everyone!" she said, addressing the elves around her, "It's time to get started."

ᴥ

Fleur smiled as she changed her parchment back to her bracelet. Hermione wanted to have lunch with her, just the two of them. It was sweet. It also gave her the chance to broach the subject of her birthday party to the brunette.

Soon it was lunchtime and Fleur quickly said goodbye to her family before quickening her steps in the direction of the lake. She was anxious to get to Hermione and also the topic of the party was making her a bit nervous.

She quickly reached the spot and found Hermione standing, smiling at her next to a spread blanket and a basket on it.

"Ermione! I'm 'ere."

"Thanks for coming, Fleur. Happy Birthday again! Please come sit down."

As Fleur took a seat, she felt warmth spread to her bones, Hermione must have put a warming charm on the blanket.

"What iz all zhis?" asked Fleur, curiously like a child on Christmas.

"Uhm, I wanted to give you a special gift for your birthday. With the help of elves, I've prepared your favourites." She murmured as she pulled various French dishes from the basket.

"You made all zhis for me?" Fleur asked, surprised.

Hermione nodded shyly, "It's probably not as good as the dishes you are used to eating… I've rarely cooked in my life which is why I needed the help of the elves, for the recipes and to make sure I didn't mess anything but I tried."

"Oh 'Ermione! Thank you so much!" Fleur hugged her shy brunette to show how much she appreciated the gesture, "a 'omemade meal! It looks great! It must have taken lots of effort!"

"Well, don't judge it until you've tasted it. For all you know, it could taste really horrible."

"I don't believe zhat," Fleur said stubbornly, breaking a piece of bread and lovingly dunking it into one dish before popping it into her mouth, "Hmmmmm…."

Hermione blushed at the moan that came out of the blonde's mouth.

"Zhis iz delicieux. It iz sooo gooood." She moaned, reaching for more bread.

"Really?" Hermione asked sceptically.

"I am not even joking. You should try some." Fleur urged, dunking another piece of bread into the dish before bringing it to Hermione's lips who blushed furiously but opened her mouth and allowed Fleur to feed her.

"Good, right?" Fleur asked expectantly. 

Chewing, Hermione realised that her cooking was actually pretty good, "uhuh", she nodded.

"Told you. 'Ere, 'ave some more." Fleur prompted, bringing another morsel to Hermione's lips.

"I can feed myself, you know," the Gryffindor said trying to evade Fleur's hand.

"Where iz ze fun in zhat? Now, come on, 'umor ze birthday girl. Say ahhh" Fleur grinned, loving the healthy flush of red that her teasing was bringing to her mate's face.

"You are pushing it," grumbled Hermione, not saying ahh but still allowing Fleur to feed her one more time, "alright, that was the last time. I'm feeding myself now."

Fleur pouted, "Ah, you are no fun," she whined.

"Enough woman! Eat your food or I'll take it back to the elves," the brunette threatened.

Still pouting, Fleur went back to sample the dishes.

ᴥ

After having filled up their bellies with good food, the two girls were sitting, enjoying the tranquillity found at the lake.

"'Ermione?"

"Hmm?" Hermione turned her focus from the ripples in the water to the blonde girl.

"I 'ave something to ask you." Fleur fidgetted nervously.

"What is it?" frowned Hermione, having rarely seen Fleur nervous.

"Hmm, you see, since it iz my birthday, especially my eighteenth, my family iz organising a party tonight… I was wondering if you would go wiz me?"

"A party? Tonight? Where is it going to be held? Here at Hogwarts? Oh Fleur! I would love to go but I do not have anything to wear for something like that!"

"Ah well, you see, it will be 'eld at ze Delacour Estate in France. Ze Beauxbatons Delegation are all invited and we will be apparating zhere. As for 'aving something to wear, you should come to ze carriage, we 'ave all ze selection you would need."

"France!" Hermione shrieked, "I can't leave Hogwarts, Fleur!"

"Yes, you can. I asked Professor Dumbledore and told 'im, it iz on ze occasion of my birthday. He asked your parents, stating that it was an exchange for a day and that you would be supervised by a person of authority and he said they said yes."

"They did?!" Hermione was astounded, "wow… I don't know what to say."

"Please, say you will come." Fleur pleaded.

"Well, since my parents said yes, I guess I can go… I'm going to France," Hermione's eyes widened as she spoke the words out loud. "Wait!" she said abruptly, "Are you sure I can go? Who is the person of authority looking after me? Did you ask your parents? And you are sure I'll find something to wear for the ball?"

"Bof! Of course, you will find somezhing to wear. Ze girls will love dressing you up! As for my parents, my Maman iz dying to meet you, Grand-mere as well and zhey both will be acting as the persons of authority."

Hermione started sweating at the idea of meeting the Delacours and Fleur could see the girl getting nervous. "Do not worry ma chère 'Ermione! Zhey already love you from my letters and zhey will love you more when zhey get to know you in person!"

"Whatever you say," grumbled Hermione, she wasn’t feeling confident about this .

"Now now, don't be such a grumpy baby. Let's pack up, classes will start soon. Meet me at ze carriage before dinner. We will be 'aving dinner at ze Estate instead. We'll get you all dressed up before we go."

"Alright." The brunette sighed.

"Again 'Ermione, thank you for ze gift. I loved it." Fleur said, quickly planting a kiss on the brunette's cheek before turning around to pack the blanket.

Hermione stayed frozen for a few seconds, taken off-guard at the sudden action before getting into gear and helping the blonde pack their things.

Fleur then offered her hand to Hermione, smiling "Let's go".

Hermione grasped the offered hand and allowed herself to be guided back to the castle for their remaining classes of the day.

ᴥ

Later, Hermione descended directly to the grounds instead of going to dinner at the Great Hall. Ginny had asked her earlier if she should wait for her at dinner but she had declined, saying she wouldn't be there. Surprised, her friend had asked her where she was heading off for and Hermione had explained Fleur's invitation to her. Ginny had smiled wickedly, much to her confusion, and told her to ‘have fun’. As she reached the carriage, she knocked on the light blue door of the carriage and nervously waited.

The door opened, revealing Fleur, who had been impatiently waiting by the door, "Hermione! Come in!"

Hermione's eyes widened as she stepped into the carriage. What, from outside, looked smaller than Hagrid's Hut was massive on the inside. It was like stepping into a mansion, the floor was deep blue marble with pillars going to the high ceiling while the walls were covered in royal blue wallpaper and golden fleur de lys. Large chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the place with a golden hue making all the gold and silver highlights on the walls and pillars scintillate, "Wow! It's massive inside. It’s beautiful..."

"Yes of course, 'ow did you think we all fit in 'ere? Come wiz me," Fleur smiled, taking the girl's hand, "We are going to my room, ze girls will dress you up zhere."

Following dutifully, Hermione asked, "Uh, what about you? Where are you getting dressed?"

"Since I decided it would be best if you use my room, I will be using Alexia' room."

"I don't want to inconvenience you, Fleur."

"Zhere iz no inconvenience, my 'Ermione." Fleur opened her door and pulled the brunette inside her room where Rachel, Santana and some of the other girls were waiting, already dressed in their best gowns, "I will leave you with them. I'm sorry I cannot stay, I 'ave to get ready as well. 'Ave fun my belle," smiled Fleur before leaving, closing the door behind her.

"Don't worry, Hermione," said Rachel as she pulled the nervous Gryffindor towards the massive rack of dresses that was in the room, "we'll take good care of you."

"Uhuh, you won't recognise yourself by the time we're done with you," smirked Santana.

ᴥ

Hermione felt like she was an ice princess in a fairytale with the light blue dress that shimmered as she moved, the fabric looking as if it contained silver glitter all over. Her hair had been styled into a french braid, with a few curls out to frame her pale face. Her neck was adorned with a slim necklace of shining diamonds.

"Come on, it's time for us to apparate to France," said Rachel as she directed everyone outside the carriage.

Hermione noticed that the Beauxbatons girls were all outside, decked in beautiful dresses or elegant suits. The Veela with suits though, had a military/warrior style to them, with their swords strapped by their side or on their back, which intrigued Hermione.

"Oh, 'Ermione, vous êtes la plus belle créature que j'ai jamais vu. [Oh 'Ermione, you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen]'' Fleur's voice whispered behind her and the brunette turned around, only to be surprised by the sight in front of her. Fleur was dressed in a long dark blue tunic that reached to her knees and was secured around her waist with a sash matching Hermione's own dress, accompanied by black pants that disappeared into tall black boots. The tunic's popped up collar and wrists were finely embroidered with silver vines, making Fleur look regal, almost like a prince, "You are magnificent, 'Ermione."

The brunette was brought back to the present by Fleur's voice and she blushed as she registered the blonde's words, "Ah, Fleur…you… you look amazing too."

"Shall we?" asked Fleur, offering her right arm for Hermione to link hers with, which she did nervously, "we are going to ze outskirts of Hogwarts so we can apparate. Since we cannot apparate inside."

The group of students accompanied by their Headmistress walked for quite a bit until they were out of the anti-apparating wards of Hogwarts.

Fleur walked to where everyone was gathered. "As we all know, we are apparating to France, to the Delacour Estate. Grab onto a Veela or their mate as we are doing side-along apparition." She waited for everyone to group, "Ready? Let's go." With that said, multiple pops were heard in the clearing. Fleur grabbed Hermione’s hand and took Gabrielle’s hand with the other and apparated away. 


	12. Meeting The Delacours

**Meeting The Delacours**

Hermione felt herself being sucked through what seemed to be a tight tube with images flitting around her like a movie on fast-forward. Seconds later, she felt solid ground under her feet and hunched over as her stomach was doing somersaults. She breathed in thirstily, anchoring herself to the feeling of the arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her. Righting herself, she was surprised by the view in front of her. Massive wrought iron gates, attached to high stone walls barring the view of what was inside. Looking around, she found that they were in the middle of a forest, as all she saw surrounding her and the stone walls were tall trees. The air was nice and warm, a drastic difference to the chill of Scotland. There was still light out as the sun hadn't set yet.

"Shall we?" whispered Fleur, offering the crook of her arm again. Hermione nodded and found herself being led to the beautiful iron gate with looping vines and leaves on the sides and large tucked wings on each side, a big "D" mirrored on each wing.

Fleur stopped in front of the gates and announced in a powerful clear voice, "Fleur Isabelle Delacour," for the wards to allow entrance to everyone. The wings on the door started to shake, fluttering before spreading wide, pulling the door open which only showed a dirt road and more forest. Hermione turned when her attention was taken by a neigh. On the side was a carriage, with two snow-white Pegasuses attached to the harness. Fleur instructed everyone else to step in which they did effortlessly. Hermione suspected the inside was probably the same as the Beauxbatons carriage, a lot bigger from the inside.

"Would you want to sit inside, ma belle? Or would you like to sit wiz me in front?" asked Fleur.

"In front, please" replied Hermione, not willing to stray away from Fleur in this unknown place.

Fleur grinned, helping her up in the driver's seat like the gentlewoman she was, before climbing beside her and taking the reins, "Allons-y" she instructed and the Pegasuses started a trot then a canter. As they got into the momentum, they spread their wings and started flapping, taking off into the air. Hermione's hand shot to grasp Fleur's arm in a vice grip.

Fleur turned to look at her puzzled, "You are scared?"

Hermione blushed, "Uhm… I'm not a fan of flying."

Fleur's eyes widened, concerned "Do you wish me to bring them back to ze ground?"

"No, no. It's fine."

"Are you sure, 'Ermione? We can travel on ze ground."

"Yes. I have to get over the silly fear anyway," Hermione laughed, though it was slightly shaky.

Fleur pulled her arm out of the brunette's grip who panicked a bit until she felt it wrap around her waist and pull her tight against Fleur's side, "I will never let anything happen to you." The blonde whispered in her ear.

Hermione looked up, seeing the conviction in the deep blue eyes, "Thank you."

"Look, we are approaching." Fleur pointed with a nod in the direction of the chateau. Hermione turned and was stunned at the view in front of her. Large green gardens, with colourful patches of flowers with white pathways illuminated by massive braziers, sat in front of what looked like a massive Renaissance/Gothic style chateau with blue roofs, with light-up windows and lampposts. The structure was right on the shore of what looked like a massive lake and it continued onto an arched bridge to a larger piece of the chateau on an island just a bit off the shore of the blue lake, which glistened with the moonlight and the light from the chateau.

"Bienvenue au Château Delacour" Fleur voiced out as she began the carriage's descent. Soon, the Pegasuses landed gracefully right in the front courtyard. Fleur hopped off before extending her hand to help Hermione, while the others were getting out of the carriage.

The large blue doors of the chateau burst open and a horde of little girls and little boys, filtered out screaming, "Fleur!", "Quinn! Britt Britt!"

Fleur laughed as she picked up a little green-eyed blonde girl with freckles, "Freya!" the blonde laughed, launching the squealing little girl in the air before catching her. By that time, three little boys with curly red hair, identical triplets, attached themselves to Fleur as if she was a jungle gym, "Harris, Hubert, Hamish! 'Ow are you little tykes?!"

Hermione's brow furrowed when she heard Fleur pronounce their names correctly, wondering why the blonde struggled with the H in her name.

"Ay you wee little rascals, get back inside!" An older version of the triplets, looking around 15 years old, came out of the door with a stern face which, to Hermione's astonishment, had nearly the same bushy hair as her except she was a redhead.

"Merida! 'Ow are you?" smiled Fleur, giving a one-arm hug to the girl as she was still carrying Freya. Quinn had picked up two of the boys while Brittany was carrying the third one on her shoulders.

"I'd be a lot better, cousin if I didn't have to take care of the wee devils!" she huffed in a heavy Scottish accent.

Fleur laughed, "come on, let's get everyone inside." She tightened the grip on the little blonde in her arm, who was playing with her hair and took Hermione's arm before ascending the stairs to the chateau.

"Carmilla, did you bring me cookies?" was heard from the most adorable voice from the smallest kid of the group, Callie, a brunette with the biggest brown eyes. Hermione didn't know how that kid's parents ever refused her anything. Laura snorted as she tried to stifle her laughter.

"Uhm… I'll sneak you some later, little cupcake," whispered Carmilla, trying hard to maintain her tough persona.

As they all got inside, Hermione was even more amazed at the interiors. Tapestry covering the cream walls, depicting landscapes as well as Veela. Large candles lit up the hallways. The place was airy and bright, so different from the dark hallways of Hogwarts. It looked friendly and lived in, not so much what she was expecting. They all reached the ballroom which was a large room even larger than the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the windows to the side reached up to the ceiling where large crystal chandeliers were hanging, dispersing golden light onto the whole setup. A look through the windows, Hermione could see the lake and the larger structure on the island which meant they were in the part of the chateau that was on the arc bridge. On the sides of the room were tables, laden with all sorts of finger foods and drinks. On a stage up in the front, she could see a full orchestra playing music. She could also see doors which most probably lead to the balconies she saw from the sky. There were already a lot of people around, chatting and mingling, Hermione was feeling quite nervous.

"Fleur! Ma fille!" a voice called out from the crowd on the floor and seconds later, a blonde woman emerged from it, looking like an older version of Fleur.

"Maman!" exclaimed Fleur, giving her mother a one-arm hug with Freya was still in her arms.

The blonde woman hugged Gabrielle and the others then turned to Hermione, "and iz zhis who I think it iz?"

"Ah Maman, zhis is 'Ermione Granger. 'Ermione, this iz my muzzer, Apolline Delacour." Fleur introduced them.

"A pleasure to meet you, Madame Delacour," said Hermione politely, going for a handshake.

"Ah, ma chère, you are beautiful! Just like my Fleur described," said Apolline, eyeing Hermione appreciatively, before dragging her into a hug. Fleur blushed in embarrassment, "call me Apolline. None of zhis madame nonsense. Now, come wiz me. Fleur's grandmuzzer and my husband 'ave been dying to meet you."

Along the way to finding Fleur's grandmother and dad, Hermione was introduced to all sorts of family, Quinn's parents, Brittany's parents, Laura's parents, pretty much the parents of all the cousins of Fleur, all of them wishing Fleur happy birthday. She was also introduced to all the parents of the little kids she met outside. Fleur looked quite sad having to give Freya back to her mother. Hermione also observed that Merida and her brothers totally got their hair from their dad.

"Grand-mère!" Fleur exclaimed, running to hug an even older version of herself, with Fleur's gyrfalcon, Artemis, on her arm. That must be her grandmother.

"Ah, ma petite-fille!" the woman hugged the blonde tightly, wrapping her arms around her which brought Artemis close to her as well. The bird hopped on Fleur's shoulder and started to nibble her ear.

"Maman, 'ere iz ze Hermione zhat Fleur told us about," said Apolline.

No sooner had she said it that Hermione found herself engulfed in the arms of Fleur's grandmother. "Ah enchantée Hermione. I am Angelique Delacour. We finally meet you. Fleur has told us so much about you," said Grand-mère Delacour, much to Fleur's embarrassment.

"Hello, pleased to meet you too, Madame Delacour," Hermione replied, shy and confused on how much Fleur has been talking about her.

"Call me Grand-mère, please. Zhere are too many Mrs Delacour in zhis place. It gets confusing!" she laughed. Hermione laughed with her, she seemed like such a jovial woman.

"Ma petite Fleur! Joyeux Anniversaire!" boomed a loud voice, making Hermione turn around just in time to hear Fleur squeal as a man lifted her in her arms and spun her around, dislodging poor Artemis, who flew off Fleur's shoulder to come sit on Hermione's.

"Papa!" Fleur laughed, hugging her dad tightly as he put her back on the ground.

"And who do we have 'ere?" The man approached Hermione, taking the hand she had extended for a shake and kissing it instead, "I am Armand Delacour, would you be, by any chance, ze famous Hermione?"

"Yes indeed" replied Hermione, casting a look at the flushed Fleur on the side. Looked like everyone knew her already.

"Nice to finally meet you. I look forward to getting to know you more. Dinner is about to start, let's get seated." He smiled and clapped his hands. Hermione watched curiously as the crowd shuffled to the side of the room.

Armand clapped again and about four well-dressed elves appeared in the middle of the hall, apparating large connecting tables with dark blue tablecloths, large candlesticks with beautifully carved candles lit on them, the finest dinner settings and then chairs. Afterwards, they clicked their fingers and various types of dishes appeared on the tables. There were even high chairs for the kids. As the adults started to get seated, the elves helped the parents to deposit their kids in their own high chairs. While Hermione found this to be a nice sight, she was not at all happy at the use of elves, even though they were well dressed in dresses and suits and ties.

"Come on," urged Fleur as she pulled Hermione to the other end of the table, which curiously had empty seats, puzzling Hermione since everyone was already seated. Only the elves were standing at that end. Did some people RSVP and not show up?

"Bonne Anniversaire, mademoiselle Fleur!" echoed all the elves in chorus. as Fleur got to the table and helped Hermione into her seat.

"Merci, tout le monde!" [Thank you everyone!] Fleur grinned as she went around the table hugging all the elves one by one, "Asseyons-nous" [Let's sit down]. Hermione watched amazed as each elf took their place in the empty seats at the table as Fleur slid in the seat next to her. It was only then that Hermione noticed that the head of the table was taken by Fleur's grandmother and Fleur was seated at the other end of the long table.

"Once again, joyeux anniversaire ma petite Fleur." Fleur's grandmother intoned, lifting her wine glass, "let the feast begin."

Dinner was, in Hermione's opinion, a brilliant affair. While it looked like a formal dinner, the family was so close to each other that the conversation was informal and filled with jokes and funny stories. The kids were trying to feed themselves, to the big amusement of their parents who had their wands ready for whenever food was spilt or was sent flying. The elves were a delight, they spoke without fear, one pair were couples and they all participated in the festivities fully. The whole family seemed to know them by name and were interacting so normally with them, as if…as if they were part of the family itself. Hermione was amazed and her heart was full of delight.

"So Hermione, how did you find ze voyage coming here?" asked Fleur's grandmother, "I believe you apparated side-along with Fleur"

"I'm still not used to apparition so I can't say it was comfortable," admitted Hermione.

"Well, I hope your stomach settled itself enough for you to enjoy ze food," Angelique smiled at the brunette.

Hermione smiled back, nodding. The food had been amazing.

"I cannot believe my little fille 'as already turned eighteen, Maman. Ze Veela changes will be starting. It worries me zhat she will be all ze way in Britain while she starts it," said Appoline worriedly to Angelique, while Hermione listened carefully.

"Ah, time sure passes fast. Don't worry so much, she has ze others wiz 'er," said Angelique as she tried to reassure her daughter, but she was a bit worried as well.

"Remember ze day she learnt to crawl?" Appoline smiled as she heard her mother laugh at the memory. Turning to Hermione, she continued, "she finally managed to keep steady on her wobbly knees and she crawled around so fast wiz ze biggest grin on her face. Her nappy came loose and fell off and Armand spent half an hour running after her wiggling naked butt."

Hermione laughed as she tried to imagine how Fleur looked as a toddler.

"Oh, and on her first birthday, she was quite good at flying wiz her tiny white wings, like a cherub in only her nappy again. She didn't like wearing clothes." smirked Apolline, "We were keeping an eye on her in case she fell. She was enjoying doing little twirls in ze air." Apolline smiled as she got lost in the memory, "We suddenly got sidetracked about somezhing and forgot about her for a few seconds and it waz all it took. She fell from ze air."

Hermione gasped.

"Right into ze enormous cake zhat Armand insisted she must 'ave!" roared Angelique as she burst into laughter.

"She was thankfully unharmed and quite happily eating and bathin in ze cake wiz glee. She was covered in it," laughed Apolline.

"Maman!" shouted Fleur, blushing in embarrassment.

Hermione then got pulled in a conversation on magical communication that was going on between Fleur's dad and one of her aunts. She gave a few inputs and was surprised that they listened to her ideas and explanations.

After dinner, the elves brought in a large cake, which prompted snickers from Apolline, Angelique and Hermione, with eighteen candles burning brightly onto it. The French version of Happy Birthday was sung and Fleur blew her candles. The candles were re-lit for every kid to blow and they were all given a chance to cut the cake. It took awhile but after that, everyone got a large piece of the cake for dessert. Afterwards, the tables and everything else was banished again, leaving the floor free, for a dance floor.

Rachel excitedly dragged Quinn to the dance floor while Brittany did the same to Santana. The rest followed with their partners while others went back to the side tables for more drinks.

"Would you do me the 'onour of dancing with me?" Fleur asked Hermione, extending her hand to the brunette.

"Fleur…I. I've only danced a few times, I'm not that good." Hermione whispered nervously.

"I'll lead and teach as we go. Please?" Fleur pleaded, her eyes soft.

Hermione looked at the pleading azure eyes and sighed, nodding her assent. She took the proffered hand. Fleur smiled gratefully, pulling the Gryffindor onto the dance floor.

The dance started with the orchestra playing a waltz. Fleur slid her arm to Hermione's small waist and pulled her gently closer. Hermione put her hand on Fleur's shoulder and off they went, round and round.

Fleur could feel Hermione being stiff in her arms so she leaned in to whisper in her ears, "relax your body and concentrate on me."

Hermione nodded timidly before trying to let her body go. The dance started going more smoothly, Fleur led her fluidly around the dance floor with a few well-placed twirls that made her feel butterflies in her stomach and they bubbled out of her mouth as laughter.

Fleur grinned at the musical laughter coming out of her Englishwoman, it made her heart soar. They danced for half an hour, Fleur pulling Hermione in more outrageous twirls just to hear the peals of laughter of her mate.

During the downtime, between songs, Fleur noticed Quinn and Santana leave their partners to go speak with the musicians. Maybe a request, thought Fleur. The two came back to their partners and amplified their voices with their wands.

"Ladies, gentlemen, elves and others. Santana and I would like to present to you this song, specially dedicated to our partners. To you, my Rachel," said Quinn, making Rachel swoon. She loved it when Quinn serenaded her.

"And to you, my Britt Britt," added Santana. Brittany grinned widely with glee. Her Santy was so cute!

With a slight nod at the musicians from Quinn, the lights dimmed as the music started and Fleur pulled Hermione closer.

"Watching every motion in my foolish lover's game… On this endless ocean, finally lovers know no shame…" sang Quinn in her angelic voice, pulling Rachel as close as she could to her body. The petite brunette wrapped her arms around her blonde's neck.

Santana's voice picked up next, gazing lovingly into Brittany's blue eyes. The blue-eyed blonde grinned lovingly at her feisty Santana serenading her. "Turning and returning to some secret place inside… Watching in slow motion as you turn around and say…"

"Take my breath away… Take my breath away…" Quinn and Santana chorused as they slowly danced with their partners. Fleur's gaze, though, was fixated on the warm brown ones in front of her. She was so close to Hermione that she could count the freckles on her cheeks. Her air was heady with Hermione's perfume..

"Watching I keep waiting, still anticipating love… Never hesitating to become the fated ones" Rachel looked at Quinn in awe as she picked the verse. The angelic voice and the burning love in the hazel eyes were taking her filling her heart so heavily yet she felt like she was floating over the dance floor.

Santana smiled as Brittany rested her head against her shoulder, "Turning and returning, to some secret place to cry… Watching, in slow motion, as you turn to me and say…"

Q & S: "My love, take my breath away"

S: "Through the hourglass, I saw you, in time you slipped away… When the mirror crashed I called you, and turned to hear you say…"

Q: "If only for today… I am unafraid…"

Q & S: :Take my breath away… Take my breath away…"

Hermione felt herself being pulled into Fleur's cerulean orbs. She could feel every point of contact between their bodies acutely, warming her skin. Her heart picked speed as she felt herself lean into the blonde.

Q: "Watching every motion in this foolish lover's game… Haunted by the notion, somewhere there's a love in flames…"

Santana: "Turning and returning to some secret place inside… Watching, in slow motion, as you turn my way and say…"

Q & S: "Take my breath away, my love… Take my breath away... My love… Take my breath away yeahhh...away… Take my breath away...My love... Take my breath away..."

Hermione breathed heavily as the song ended, caught in the blazing azure eyes of the French girl in her arms. The sudden applause, whistling and laughter from the audience snapped her out of her trance and she looked around her. Rachel was wrapped around Quinn, kissing her like her life depended on it and Brittany had lifted Santana into her arms and whirling her around in laughter before she brought her down and captured her lips.

Feeling uncomfortable at the romance around her, she shuffled out of Fleur's arms, trying to catch her breath. Clearing her throat, she announced "I would like to take a break," before walking off the dance floor, Fleur following her closely. The brunette poured herself some juice in a goblet to wet her parched throat.

"Are you ok, ma cherie?" asked Fleur concerned. The brunette looked unsettled.

"I'm fine. I was just starting to get warm, I needed to cool down and get some air," the Gryffindor explained.

"Would you like to go outside for some air, zhen? I can show you ze gardens," suggested the blonde.

Hermione nodded and allowed Fleur to direct her outside, where the temperature had decreased as the night progressed. The fresh air cooled her skin. They walked on the stone pathway lined with beautiful lampposts, with small Veela statues on top, wings spread with cupped palms facing the sky. Inside the palms, bright flames lit up the area. The sky was clear and glittering with stars while the moon bathed the whole place with moonlight. It all made the rows of flowers shine, while their scent wafted into the air as a small breeze blew.

"Fleur?" asked Hermione hesitantly.

"Hmm?" intoned Fleur as she gazed at the bright stars above.

"Looking at all the people inside, their happiness with their mates, the obvious love between them, even looking at Quinn with Rachel and Brittany with Santana…. Doesn't that make you feel lonely?"

Fleur was surprised at the question, making her steps falter and stop.

Hermione grew nervous at the surprise on the blonde's face, "I'm sorry. It's not my place to ask that."

"I do…" whispered Fleur, keeping her eyes on the night sky.

"Huh?" Hermione was confused.

"I do feel something. I wouldn't call it loneliness, not when I'm surrounded by my family but I do feel a prickle in my heart. The feeling is more me missing my mate," the Veela explained, finally bringing her eyes down to look at Hermione.

"You miss them? But you have never met them?" Hermione wasn't sure she was understanding.

"Yes. I have always felt like this, since very young. Always feeling it when playing, flying, sleeping or just being. The feeling that there is a specific someone that should have been next to me during it all, sharing these moments with me. I miss them deeply, always." Fleur smiled sadly before turning her gaze back to the stars. "You know, 'Ermione…"

"Yes?" Hermione replied, hearing the slight hesitation in Fleur's voice.

"I-" Fleur started.

"Fleur!" One of the Beauxbatons girls called out from the door, "Fleur, on s'apprête à retourner à Poudlard!" [We are getting ready to go back to Hogwarts!]

"D'accord, on arrive." [Alright, we're coming.] Fleur called back before turning back to Hermione, "It seems that the time to go back to Hogwarts has come.," she sighed.

Hermione nodded and followed the blonde back inside. They said their goodbyes. Watching Fleur with her family made Hermione miss her parents. _I'll send them a letter tomorrow._

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Hermione," said Apolline as she hugged her girl. She liked the brunette and hoped fiercely that the Gryffindor would join their family one day. "Do come again and if zhere iz anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"Indeed," agreed Angelique as she hugged the girl as well. "And do keep an eye on our Fleur for us, as she goes through her Veela changes, please."

Hermione was surprised at their generosity and hospitality. They were really lovely people..

"We shall continue our conversation on ways to increase the efficacy of magical communication some other time. I found your ideas, especially your explanation of existing Muggle techniques quite fascinating. Do come again," said Armand, as he hugged the girl as well.

Fleur took all her shrunk birthday gifts and slipped them in her pockets. Saying their goodbyes to the aunts, uncles, cousins, little kids and elves, they all climbed back into the carriage. This time, Fleur kept the carriage firmly on the ground to the edge of their Delacour property, not wanting to upset Hermione's stomach after their dinner, before they apparated away to the outskirts of Hogwarts' wards.

Soon they were back on Hogwarts ground, walking back to the Beauxbatons carriage. Hermione was still trying to shake the uncomfortable feeling of the apparition.

"'Ermione, it iz quite late and I do not wish for you to trek back to ze castle. Madame Maxime 'as given you permission to stay in ze carriage tonight."

"Ah Fleur, I do not want to inconvenience any of you. I can walk to the castle, it is no problem," replied Hermione.

"Please 'Ermione. Stay wiz us tonight," pleaded Fleur.

"Alright," acquiesced the brunette, sighing.

They all walked into the carriage and Rachel, Quinn, Britt and Santana all bid Fleur goodnight with a teasing grin on their faces.

"You will be staying in my room," said Fleur as she brought the Gryffindor into her room. Candles flickered on as Fleur waved her wand.

Earlier, when she was getting ready with the others, Hermione hadn't had the time to have a proper look at the surroundings. Now that she could, she was amazed. The room was massive! On the front wall stood large windows which Hermione was sure was facing the castle. On the right side of the windows was a large poster bed, large enough to fit two people comfortably. The right wall consisted only of bookshelves filled to the brim, with a white stone fireplace extruding from the middle. Oh, how she would love to peruse all those books. There was a comfy rocking chair on the left side of the windows which Hermione guessed was there for reading but from the cushions, blanket and open book that were on the window sill, Hermione guessed that's where Fleur did her actual reading. On the left wall were various assortments of weapons, armours and equipment, Fleur's desk was next to it. In a corner was a small door that went to Fleur's en-suite where she had changed her clothes earlier.

Fleur lit the fireplace to ward off the chill inside, "I shall give you some pyjamas for you to change into," she said as she opened her truck at the foot of her bed and riffled through it, "would you prefer a shirt and shorts or a nightgown?"

"Uhm, a shirt and shorts would be fine."

"Hmm," Fleur kept digging through her things until she pulled out a white button-up shirt and light grey shorts, "will zhese do?"

"Yes," replied Hermione as she took them.

"You can use ze bathroom to change," Fleur said pointing at the bathroom door. Hermione nodded and walked into the en-suite.

When Hermione emerged from the bathroom, Fleur could not stop the little smile that bloomed on the face. Hermione looked so good in her shirt. She looked ravishing. She bet she would look even more so if she was only wearing the shirt. Oh god, her legs… Fleur stared hard then shook herself out of her reverie and went to the bathroom to change.

She emerged, wearing a black tank top and shorts to find Hermione sitting on the window sill, gazing at the moon.

"You take ze bed, I shall take ze floor," said Fleur, smiling at how beautiful the brunette looked illuminated by the moonlight.

Hermione turned as she heard Fleur and tried to school her reaction at the girl's attire. She knew already that the blonde was really beautiful but seeing her right now, she looked… uhm… sexy... She desperately tried to contain her blush at her thoughts. She then realised the words that the Veela had spoken.

"There is no need for you to sleep on the floor, Fleur. The bed is big enough for both of us," she said, confused why the girl wanted to sleep on the floor.

"Are you sure?" asked Fleur, hesitantly.

"Yes." Hermione nodded in emphasis.

"After you zhen," Fleur waved at the bed.

Timidly, Hermione approached the bed before slowly slipping underneath the covers. Fleur followed afterwards, careful to leave enough space between them so as not to make the brunette uncomfortable. She waved her the wand to extinguish the candles, leaving the fireplace the only thing to give some light to the room

"Goodnight 'Ermione," the Veela whispered.

"Goodnight Fleur." Hermione's head settled on the soft pillows and she caught a whiff of Fleur's scent, which unknowingly relaxed her, lulling into sleep.

Fleur listened as Hermione's breaths evened out. She drank the sight of the love of her life, relaxed and unguarded face in sleep. Sleeping was not going to be an option tonight…not when she could look at Hermione for hours. She whispered a silent prayer of thanks to the Veela Ancients for making Hermione her mate. She was perfect for her. She would treasure her forever.


	13. Hogsmeade With Fleur

**Hogsmeade with Fleur**

The sunlight flickering through the curtains and birds chirping outside woke Fleur from her slumber. Blinking the grogginess away, she realised that she had fallen asleep at some point in the early morning. Her side was warm where Hermione was tucked against her, arm around Fleur's waist and legs tangled together. They must have moved closer to each other in their sleep. The brunette's face was in the crook of her neck and she could feel her even breaths caress her neck. Her wavy russet locks were splayed half on the pillow underneath Hermione's head and half on Fleur's chest. It was the most delicious way of getting up Fleur ever experienced.

"Hmm…" Hermione hummed, as her sleep broke, but she waited a few seconds before getting up. The bed was unusually warm and she wanted to soak it in. Blinking her eyes open and lifting her head to shuffle herself better into the warmth, she found herself looking into blue eyes, filled with amusement. With a squeal, she pushed away, nearly falling off the bed, hadn't it been for the arm that circled her waist and pulled her back.

"Good morning, chérie," said Fleur, grinning. A groggy Hermione with sleep tousled hair was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"Fleur!" Hermione sat up, feeling Fleur release her, "Uhm… good morning."

"Did you sleep well?" the blonde turned to lie on her side and propped her head on her elbow.

Hermione was stunned at how the blonde looked beautiful even with a bed-head. "I did," she said, rubbing her groggy eyes.

"Excited for our 'Ogsmeade trip today?" Fleur asked sweetly.

"Uhum," Hermione nodded as she slid off the bed, "we should get ready, I need to go back to the castle to shower and change."

"You can use my bathroom to freshen up if you want. I can lend you some clothes for your walk back to ze castle," offered Fleur, getting off the bed as well.

"Yeah, I would like that."

Riffling through her wardrobe, Fleur took out some jeans, T-shirt, sweater, coat, gloves and a blue beanie "'ere."

Hermione took the clothes and disappeared into the bathroom. She freshened up before she pulled on the garments _._ Exiting the bathroom, she rounded up her items, her uniform she took off to put on her evening dress and her bag.

"I'm off to the castle to get ready," informed the brunette.

"Ok. Would you like me to escort you back?" asked Fleur.

"There's no need, you need time to get ready as well. I'll see you in the Hall for breakfast? See you soon!" replied Hermione as she slipped on her shoes and then exited the bedroom. Knowing her way out of the carriage, she soon found herself in the snow outside and started her quick trek back to the castle for it was freezing outside.

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Freshly showered, Hermione started dressing up for her Hogsmeade trip. She pulled Fleur's sweater back on, she kinda liked it and put on her brown corduroy trousers. Slipping her outdoors black boots, she pulled her thick brown coat over her shoulders. Rummaging through the chest at the foot of her bed, she found her matching red gloves and cable-knit beanie and slipped them on. Wrapping her Gryffindor scarf around her neck as a finishing touch, she looked at herself in the mirror. Yep, she looked toasty warm and ready to brave the snow outside. Throwing her messenger bag over her shoulders, she exited her room on her way to the Hall.

As she arrived at the Hall, she saw Fleur already seated at the Ravenclaw table. Waving a greeting, she directed herself to her own table and took a seat next to Ginny.

"Morning, Mione," said Ginny as the girl sat next to her, before whispering in her ear, "I came to check on you early this morning. Didn't spend the night in your room, eh? I hope you had plenty of _rest._ " The salacious face Ginny was making told everything about what the redhead was thinking.

"We returned from the ball really late last night and Fleur kindly asked me to stay instead of walking back to the castle," Hermione explained, a faint blush rising on her cheeks at her friend's dirty mind. Sure, Fleur had a lot of the Hogwarts populace drooling over her but that didn't mean Hermione was doing anything of the sort!

"Sure…" Ginny winked at her, "tell me all the details later," she said as she noticed the approach of Harry and Ron.

They quickly ate and separated, Ron, Ginny and Harry making a group to go to Hogsmeade while Hermione was set to go meet Fleur. Ron was not happy about her not coming along with them but she turned a deaf ear to his grumbles and walked away to Fleur, who was waiting for her at the main doors.

As the Gryffindor approached the blonde, Hermione was finally able to see what Fleur was wearing. Fleur had on a white button-up shirt that was tucked into a pair of grey cargo pants, secured with a black belt. The pants were tucked into black leather boots. She had a black blazer on, the sleeves rolled up.

"Wow, you look great," Hermione said as she reached the blonde, "aren't you feeling cold, though?" she asked, puzzled.

"Uhm, not so much. I'm feeling a bit warm today," replied Fleur, "and you look cute as a button."

"Thanks…" blushed Hermione, not used to compliments, "are you sick, though?" she asked, concerned as she brought the back of her hand to Fleur's forehead. As soon as her hand touched the blonde, she was surprised to see her blue eyes switch to silver for a split second. Startled, she asked in an alarmed voice, "What was that?!" cupping the girl's cheek, pulling her to her to take a closer look.

"What waz what?" asked Fleur, confused though quite aware of Hermione's face inches from hers. She could see her lovely freckles so clearly.

"Your eyes just went silver for a second" Hermione said, peering intensely into the blue orbs, to see if they changed again.

"Oh… the changes must 'ave started. It must also be why I am not feeling cold." Fleur realised.

"The changes, already?" asked Hermione, concerned.

"Oui, I'm just growing up as a Veela. Don't worry about zhem. Shall we head off to 'Ogsmeade?" Fleur reassured the brunette.

Hermione nodded, still a bit worried but followed Fleur as she went down the beaten path that led to Hogsmeade.

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"So here, we are. Hogsmeade!" exclaimed Hermione, spreading her arms wide as they entered the picturesque village.

"Hmm…" murmured Fleur as she took a look around at the small snowy roof-topped array of shops. It was quite beautiful, reminding her of the snowy village she visited with her family, located in the Alps.

"Shall we go to Scrivenshaft first? I have a quill and other stationery to buy," asked the brunette.

"Sure, lead ze way, 'Ermione," nodded Fleur.

They spent half an hour at Scrivenshaft as Hermione selected one new quill for herself, with beautiful reddish-gold plumage. She added a few feet of parchment paper to her purchases before she paid for it and exited the store.

"Would you like to go to the bookstore? I like to browse the new books for anything interesting," Hermione asked, not sure if Fleur was enjoying these things with her. Harry and Ron always found such places boring and she didn't want the blonde's first visit to Hogsmeade to be boring.

"No need to ask me every time, 'Ermione. Just go where you need to go and I'll follow you. It'll give me the chance to visit the stores," Fleur reassured the brunette.

Nodding, Hermione directed them to another store with a hanging nameplate, reading "Tomes and Scrolls". This was Hermione's second wonderland, the first being the Hogwarts' library. The Gryffindor brushed her fingers on the spines of the books in the "New" aisle.

"Fleur, they have Crabble's new book on the study of nonverbal spells."

"Is zhat something you are interested in?"

"Yes. Nonverbal spells are very complicated and we only started to learn them in our sixth year. It is said that some spells are easier than others such as the Levicorpus. The Patronus Charm, on the other hand, is already a difficult charm to do, especially a corporeal one. To do so nonverbally is said to be quite a difficult task." Hermione found herself babbling, realising she was probably boring the French girl to tears but as she looked at the blonde, she found Fleur listening to her with interest.

"'Ave you managed any wordless spells?"

"A few but not as many as I wanted. Some have been harder than I thought," shrugged Hermione, embarrassed. It was embarrassing for her to say she didn't manage something, especially when the Gryffindors would expect her to get it on the first try while the Slytherins waited with baited breaths for her to fail.

"It iz difficult, as you say. I 'ave managed only a few spells as well. What if we 'ave a practice session where I can teach you what I know and you can teach me what you know? We can also try some new spells togezer"

"Sure!" exclaimed Hermione, elated. Learning was a joy to her and on top of that, Fleur hadn't judged or made fun of her failures. Picking up the book, she went to pay for it at the front.

Fleur held the door open for the brunette as they exited the bookstore to go to Honeydukes to buy a few sweets. Light snow had started to fall as they made their way to the sweets shop. As she browsed around, Hermione was presently surprised to learn that Fleur had quite a sweet tooth, seeing the amount she was buying.

"Don't look at me like zhat. It iz not only for me. Gabrielle would 'ave my 'ide if I didn't buy some for her, even if I know she is going to buy some 'erself when she comes 'ere later wiz Alexia," grumbled Fleur, as she also picked up some sugar cubes, "and zhis iz for Artemis. She would peck at my fingers if I don't give her, her sweets." Hermione laughed at that.

"Which are your favourite sweets?" asked the blonde, "I'll treat you."

"Oh no, there is no need" replied Hermione, waving Fleur away.

"I insist, it iz a thank you gift for coming 'ere wiz me and giving me ze 'Ermione Special 'Ogsmeade tour," insisted Fleur.

"Well…fine," acquiesced Hermione, "I'm quite fond of the Pumpkin Pasties or simply some milk chocolate with hazelnuts."

Nodding, Fleur picked up the mentioned items and went to the counter to complete her purchases. "Here," she said as she deposited them into Hermione's hands.

"Thank you, Fleur." replied Hermione, smiling in gratitude.

"It iz my pleasure. So what next?" asked Fleur, loving this experience with Hermione. It felt like a date.

"Hmm, we could walk around and see if anything strikes your fancy?" proposed Hermione, "or there is also a little clearing over there where we could sit peacefully and watch the snowfall."

"I'm interested in zhis clearing of yours, let's go zhere."

The snow crunched underfoot as they walked through the streets of Hogsmeade till the shops and houses started thinning out. From there, it only took them a few minutes to reach the clearing, circled by large pine trees, the snow making the ground look like a fluffy white blanket. The girls could see a few rabbits hopping about but otherwise, the place was undisturbed. They found a large rock and with a wave of her wand, Hermione cleared it of all snow for them to sit.

Settling herself on the rock, Fleur opened the bag of chocolate drops that she had bought at Honeydukes earlier and popped one in her mouth before offering some to Hermione.

"Thanks" Hermione picked one out and nipped at it slowly.

Placing the bag on the rock, Fleur eagerly got up to explore the clearing while Hermione stayed seated, enjoying the sweets. A scurrying sound took the brunette's attention off the frolicking blonde and she watched as a squirrel climbed up a tree close behind her.

"'Ermione!"

Hermione turned around to answer Fleur when—

WHAM!

A snowball hit her square in the face. Stunned, she looked at Fleur, who was laughing and already gathering more snow for a snowball. Spluttering, she wiped the remnants of Fleur's snowball from her face. Pulling out her wand, she flicked it at the blonde, sending a spray of snow splattering on her face.

" 'Ermione, zhat's cheating!" spluttered Fleur as snow got into her mouth.

"Yeah and throwing a snowball at me without warning is fair?" Hermione threw back.

"Alright, let's start again zhen. No magic," said Fleur, as she started piling up more snow for her snowballs.

"You're on!" shouted Hermione, quickly starting to make her own snowballs.

What followed were laughs and squeals as snowballs met their target with loud splats. Fleur managed to sneak on Hermione and slip a bit of snow inside her shirt which made her squeal as she wiggled around to dislodge the cold ice from inside her clothes. Fleur laughed to tears, holding her stomach only to be taken off guard when Hermione smashed fistfuls of snow on her head.

Fleur grabbed her and pushed her down. Hermione, not to be taken alone, pulled her with her and they both dropped into the snow. After bouts of furious battling, Fleur managed to pin Hermione into the snowy ground and grinned triumphantly at the annoyed face the brunette was sporting.

"I win," said the blonde with glee.

Hermione's breath caught as the Veela's weight settled on top of her. They were so tightly pushed together that Hermione could feel Fleur's panting breaths warming her cold face.

Noticing the silence from the brunette, Fleur took a better look at the brunette and realised just how close their proximity were. She pulled away gently and flopped down on her back, next to the brunette, panting heavily.

"That was nice," whispered Hermione, as she caught her breath.

"Hmm", shifting onto her side, Fleur looked at the brunette, who sported rosy cheeks and a cute pink nose from the cold and all the running around, "it was enjoyable, non?" She hoped that the awkwardness of the previous moment was gone.

"Uhmm" agreed Hermione, "I haven't had this much fun for a while."

"And why iz zhat?" asked Fleur, curious.

"I don't know. I guess, with the boys, there is always something going on, something for me to help them with or take care of. Not that I mind it but it doesn't leave time for things like this. Also, I've realised that I'm freer with you. I don't know why." Hermione's brows furrowed as she thought about it.

"Well, maybe it iz because I've just met you and I do not 'ave ze expectations your friends 'ave of you."

"I think it is part of it. We study together and I absolutely enjoy it. The boys tend to wait until the last minute to do their work and by that time, I'm done with mine and spend our time together helping them both. When the boys are free, they want to practice Quidditch or talk about it. You and I, we talk about a lot of things, I like that."

"I am 'appy you enjoy my company," grinned Fleur.

"Oh shut up you," Hermione tried to school her smile, "I don't want to inflate your already big blonde head!" she said as she spread out her arms and legs and began waving them into the snow.

"My 'ead iz not big!" Fleur replied, incredulously, "Take zhat back 'Ermione!" she shouted, sitting up and hesitantly touching her head just to make sure.

Hermione laughed as she got up and dusted off the snow from her clothes, "I made a snow angel" she replied cheekily, not answering Fleur's outrage.

"Trying to get out of it by being cute," Fleur grumbled softly as she got up as well, "it works too well. She's lucky I love 'er," she ended with an inaudible whisper.

"Come on, I'm getting cold. Let's go buy some Butterbeers to warm ourselves," said Hermione, grinning at the outrage still on the blonde's face as she stood, pouting.

"Fine…" muttered Fleur, "but my 'ead isn't big"

All she heard was Hermione's laughter as she scurried after the Gryffindor.

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"I believe we should get lunch as well," suggested Fleur, "I'll treat you."

"No Fleur, that's too much. You already bought me sweets," argued Hermione.

"Please 'Ermione! Zhen next time you can buy me lunch, ok?"

Huffing, Hermione realised she had no choice but to take the deal, "Alright." The brunette pulled Fleur to the Three Broomsticks inn, finding them a table at one corner. They looked at the menu and quickly decided on their orders. As soon as their waiter arrived at their table, they ordered their food and two Butterbeers, then relaxed into their chairs, enjoying the warmth of the indoors, multiple fireplaces roaring in the establishment.

"If you don't mind me asking, what other changes are going to happen to you," asked Hermione curiously as the waiter brought their Butterbeers and left.

"Well, zhere are some changes zhat happen to all Veelas, such as sometimes our eyes change colour, our feathers also shine a bit, we get stronger and faster, our 'air changes for a short period and much more. Some changes depend on ze individual, so we do not all 'ave it ze same. Zere iz also ze strengthening of our magical core," Fleur explained, taking a cautionary sip at ze beverage before deciding she liked it.

"That's quite a lot to deal with."

"It iz," replied Fleur, nodding.

They kept on the conversation over their lunch and even bought two more Butterbeers. Fleur fished out a few coins from her wallet to pay for their food and drinks before they exited the warm establishment, back into the cold snowy outdoors.

They walked around, enjoying each other's company when suddenly, a grating voice interrupted their fun, "Well, if it isn't the Half-Breed with her pet Mudblood again."

Whirling around, both girls found Malfoy standing a few metres behind them, flanked by his usual stooges, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Isn't it cute that the Half-Breed took her little pet dog for a walk in the snow," he mocked, as his entourage laughed.

Enraged, Fleur gritted her teeth, "Mr Malfoy, it seems zhat you did not learn from last time."

"I'm giving you both a chance!" he spat, "Apologise for what you did last time and I shall not say a word of what happened to my father to spare you from his wrath."

"Your father?" Fleur echoed.

"Yes, Lucius Malfoy," Malfoy replied with a tone of superiority, "he has considerable influence in the Ministry."

"Hmm… I think telling your father iz a good idea," mused Fleur.

"What?" both Malfoy and Hermione exclaimed.

"Well, only for the face he'd make when you tell 'im my name," replied the French with a large grin on her face.

Malfoy growled, "Apologise!"

"It seems that none of us is going to apologise to you, Malfoy so bug off" Hermione retorted.

Malfoy wasted no time in sending a hex towards Hermione who quickly erected a shield in front of her, absorbing the hex.

The other two boys took it as a sign and started sending spells towards Hermione and Fleur, and Hermione was quickly getting overwhelmed. As she erected a shield again, she realised that one of the spells was going to hit her when suddenly a shield appeared in front of her and protected her from the incoming spell.

In her haste to pull up a shield in front of Hermione, Fleur had left her flank undefended and was swiftly hit by a spell that blasted her, throwing her backwards. She fell heavily onto the ground and slid on the slippery snow. Angry, she quickly got up and threw back a powerful curse that blasted all three boys away. Without waiting, she sent another blast at the ground next to the fallen boys, making it explode, scattering snow everywhere. Scared, the three boys quickly got to their feet and scurried away.

"Are you alright, cherie?" asked Fleur as she approached Hermione to check her for any injuries.

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks to your shield. What about you?" the brunette asked, concerned as she had seen the blasting spell hit Fleur.

"I'm alright, just need to clean my clothes" replied Fleur as she cleaned the mud off her garments with a Tergeo spell then dried them with a Hot-Air Charm. "I think we should go back to ze castle now. Maybe go see Vahriin and 'Agrid?" she proposed.

"I think that's an excellent idea, let's go!" said Hermione, taking Fleur's hand and pulling her towards the road back to the castle.

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When they reached Hagrid's Hut, they found the man sitting around a campfire with Vahriin as they both tended to the eggs that were being heated on the flames.

"Hagrid!" called out Hermione, running to hug the man, "how are you?" she asked, concerned. She hadn't seen him since the First Task due to that wretched Skeeter's article about his giant heritage. The backlash that followed had broken the poor Gamekeeper and the hate mail that came afterwards hadn't helped.

"Ay Hermione, Fleur. I'm doin' a bit better. Vahriin has been helping," said Hagrid.

"That's great," replied Hermione, happy and relieved for her friend.

"I'm happy to 'ear zat, Monsieur 'Agrid" added Fleur as she approached them and patted the Horntail.

"What about yeh two? How has yeh wounds healed from yeh First Task, Fleur?" he asked them.

"All 'ealed, except a few muscle twinges 'ere and zere," replied Fleur, "Vahriin 'asn't been making trouble, 'as she?" The dragon grunted at the blonde.

"Nah, I've always wanted a dragon so it's great to have her here and I enjoy taking care of the youngins" he said, pointing at the eggs, "Plus, the crows haven't been bugging me crops, she works amazingly well as me scarecrow" he smiled, "You taking her for a spin, Fleur?"

"Maybe," replied the blonde. 'Ermione," Fleur started, "I know zat you are scared of ze 'eights but would you like to go flying wiz me and Vahriin? You can say no if you don't want to go."

"Uhmm…" Hermione contemplated the idea for a minute, "I think I'll give it a go. Are you sure it's safe?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'll never let any 'arm come to you, 'Ermione, I promise. Trust me?" asked Fleur.

"I trust you, Fleur," replied Hermione as she walked towards the dragon.

Vahriin crouched and stuck her body close to the ground and with one vault, Fleur was settled onto the dragon's back, "Take my 'and" she said, extending it to the brunette.

Hermione took the hand and watched as the blonde's arm muscles bunched to lift her up. Soon, she was settled comfortably, nestled against Fleur's chest, the blonde's arms wrapped around her waist. She quickly took hold of one of the Horntail's spikes that was in front of her.

"Ready?" Fleur whispered in her ear.

With a hesitant nod, Hermione watched as Vahriin unfurled her wings and she suppressed a squeak as the wings flapped powerfully, launching them into the air. At the speed they were flying, the wind whipped through her hair. The increasing distance from the ground was starting to make her nervous.

"Breathe 'Ermione and look," said Fleur, pointing in front of them.

Hermione looked down to find a breathtaking view. Seeing the Black Lake from the top showed just how massive it was. The vast body of water shimmered in the light of the setting sun while the trees along its shores looked tiny.

"'Old on tight" shouted Fleur. Hearing those words, Hermione could only tighten her hands around the dragon's spike. With a lurch, the dragon dropped down, the movement making Hermione's stomach jump into her throat. The dragon glided really close to the surface of the lake, its legs brushing the water, showering Fleur and herself with a fine spray. Hermione felt Fleur's chest rumble on her back as the blonde let out a laugh and that made her smile.

"Look over there," she pointed to Fleur. The Giant Squid had lifted out one of its tentacles and was waving it in the air as if to say hello.

They spent a few minutes flying over the lake before Fleur made Vahriin turn back. Hermione could see the imposing castle of Hogwarts from this angle and it was magnificent. She also observed tiny dots moving towards the castle, realising that it was the students returning from Hogsmeade. They soon approached Hagrid's Hut, Vahriin gliding down before landing softly a few yards away. The dragon walked the rest of the distance until she was back next to her eggs and lied down, allowing her riders to get down. Fleur dismounted before giving a helping hand to Hermione.

"So, 'ow waz it?" asked Fleur, checking the brunette's face to make sure she hadn't scared the Gryffindor to death.

Hermione's eyes twinkled, "it was amazing!" she hopped a bit, in excitement, "I felt so free and the views were gorgeous! I've never felt like this when we were learning how to fly brooms though it could be due to my lack of skills."

"I'm 'appy you enjoyed it," Fleur replied with a smile, before going thoughtful, "you usually practice till you get better when you are not good at somezhing. What 'appened wiz flying?" she asked, curious.

"Ron kept making fun of me," huffed Hermione, annoyed as she crossed her arms, "and I also didn't want to fall and make a fool of myself. The Slytherins would have had a field day about it, along with Ron. My fear of heights also didn't help."

"Well, a broom might not be ze best starting point for you zhen. First, you need to get comfortable being in ze air. As from today, you can take Vahriin for a fly whenever you want. Ze good thing about flying my dragon iz zat she understands you and zherefore will understand any voice commands you give 'er. A broom cannot do zhat," explained Fleur.

"Oh Fleur, I couldn't. She's your dragon-" Hermione tried to refuse but Fleur shushed her.

"Oui, and she knows you are my friend so she will accept your commands. If you are not ready to go flying alone zen I shall take you wiz me, whenever I go."

"I'd prefer that for the time being," replied Hermione, smiling in relief, "I really enjoyed it."

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"Would you like to go back to ze carriage wiz me?" Fleur asked as they walked back after having said goodbye to Hagrid and Vahriin.

"Sure. We still have some time before dinner," replied Hermione, following the blonde back to the powder blue carriage.

The walk back was quite short with the brisk pace that Fleur was maintaining so they were soon in the blonde's room. The blonde girl lit up a fire in the fireplace to warm up the room.

"I shall go take a quick shower. I'll be back soon" said Fleur. Hermione nodded as she watched the blonde take some clean clothes out of her trunk and enter the bathroom.

In the meantime, the bushy-haired girl pulled out her newly purchased book on wordless spells and settled herself on Fleur's bed for a read. _Hmmmmm, this bed is soft as a cloud, I might end up falling asleep._ Fifteen minutes later, Fleur came out wearing a tank top and a pair of black pants. What was interesting was the twin slits in the back of the tank top.

"I hope you don't mind. I'm feeling an ache in my back, which I believe, is my wings. I need to stretch zhem a little," said Fleur as she sat in the middle of the floor, a bit away from the bed.

"Oh," Hermione said, quickly sitting up, "Of course, why would I mind?" her voice was much more excited now, at the prospect of seeing Fleur transform from up close.

Fleur smiled before she closed her eyes to concentrate on her transformation. Hermione winced at the sound of cracking bones but her eyes stayed open, mesmerised as the wings spread in front of her, shimmering in the firelight. The plumage was silver blue, with a hint of gold coming from the fire glow. What was interesting was the fact that some of the feathers were sparkling, like someone had showered them with glitter.

"Oh Fleur, they are beautiful" she whispered, sliding off the bed to kneel on the floor. She extended her hand to touch the wings but retracted them, uncertain.

"You can touch zhem, 'Ermione," Fleur whispered back, feeling pride and love fill her chest at the gaze in Hermione's eyes. The Gryffindor was looking at her like she was one of the seven wonders of the Wizarding World.

Hermione hesitated, before taking a deep breath, gathering some courage. She crawled closer to the blonde and carefully touched the feathers. They were so soft… Softer than the bed she had just likened to a cloud. She was a bit startled when Fleur shivered as her hands caressed the feathers, eyes fluttering shut.

She smiled at Fleur's adorable expression before asking in a low voice, "Ticklish?"

"A leetle beet," replied Fleur, her voice husky and her accent, more pronounced.

"Is this what you meant about them shining, the glittering?" Hermione softly asked.

"Oui."

"Beautiful…" Hermione whispered again. Her hands kept wandering on the plumage, eliciting more tiny shivers from Fleur. She couldn't get enough of the softness and she wondered how it would feel wrapped around her, just like the bed. She realised her train of thought and blushed, quickly removing her hands from the wings.

Fleur nearly whined at the loss of contact. She was enjoying it too much. It was like getting gently scratched in the back or like someone scratching your scalp while running their hands in your hair. The feeling was divine, even more so because Hermione was the one that had been doing it.

Fleur languidly opened her eyes, finding an adorably blushing Hermione twisting her hands. Without thinking, her wings swept forward, enveloping Hermione before pulling her in.

Hermione was startled and started falling forward, right into the arms of the blonde. She looked up in question only to become mesmerised at the deep blue orbs staring at her. She was suddenly extremely aware of the soft feeling of the feathers enveloping her, the strong arms holding her tightly and the shallow breaths of Fleur that were caressing her face. Her question was answered, the soft feathers around her felt amazing, like she was being cuddled by the softest and warmest cloud on a cold day.

Fleur looked down at chocolate eyes, feeling lightheaded as every breath of hers was pulling the scent of Hermione into her lungs. Her arms and wings were around the brunette, yet she felt like she was the one that was enveloped and surrounded by everything that was Hermione. She was dying to taste her rosy lips, to taste it like it was the last thing she would ever taste, to drink it like a thirsty person would savour the last drop of water on Earth but she knew she couldn't. Fleur wanted it to be Hermione's choice and not a loss of control from her. Yet her lips trembled slightly as she fought for control. The brunette was so close, she could taste it. Her arms loosened, and she pulled them until her hands were resting on the Gryffindor's sides. She felt the slight hitch in Hermione's breath and noticed the slight brilliance that came into the brown eyes locked on hers. Her palms tentatively glided upwards, following the curve of the brunette's body.

Hermione felt like she was not breathing properly. Her breaths were getting faster. Fleur was holding her so… so intimately… she didn't know what to think. As she felt the blonde's palms glide up her body, she shuddered at the feeling. It felt so foreign… It felt intimate, cherished and yet so strange. The blonde's hands only stopped as they cupped her cheeks. For some reason, Hermione felt like she couldn't break her gaze from Fleur, it was hypnotising and was rooted to the spot.

She watched as Fleur's face got closer and suddenly, she started feeling hot, burning hot. She was feeling short of breath. Fleur's face got so close that Hermione's eyes fluttered shut by themselves. She kept them tightly shut, feeling the blonde's hot breath fan her lips yet she didn't know what to expect next until she felt a soft yet hot pressure on the corner of her mouth. It was there for only a few seconds before it disappeared altogether, as well as the hands cupping her cheeks.

She tentatively opened her eyes to find Fleur's worried eyes looking at her, as if to gauge her reaction. She suddenly realised that Fleur had kissed her… kissed her so close to her lips. Her eyes widened and she felt dizzy like she had been caught in a tornado and whirled around. Shooting up from the floor, she opened her mouth as if to say something yet nothing came out. Confused and totally disoriented, she dashed to the door, flinging it open and disappeared down the corridor in a sprint, leaving Fleur alone to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone of emotions the blonde had created.

ᴥᴥᴥ


	14. Not Repeating The Same Mistake

Bursting into her room, Hermione quickly locked the door behind her and sat heavily on her bed. They had been close to kissing, Hermione was sure of that but didn't Fleur say that Veelas only cared for their mate? Jumping off the bed, she went to her bookshelf where she had kept all the books on Veela together. Pulling out the books "Introduction to Veela" and "Veela Mates" that Fleur's grandmother had sent for her. At that time, she had thought that Fleur had asked for the books for her because the blonde knew how much she loved learning new things but now she realised that it might have a hidden meaning to it.

Crawling back into her bed with the books, she browsed the pages until she reached the sections she wanted to check.

**Introduction to Veela**

_Relationships:_

_Most Veelas find their mate during their lifetimes. As such, it is not known for Veelas to have relationships with people other than their mate. They will be celibate until they meet their mate. It is only in rare circumstances that Veelas have relationships with someone that is not their mate and it often occurs late in their life. This rare occurrence only happens when the Veela hasn't managed to meet their mate. It can happen in case of the mate's early death before their meeting. Distance is not a factor in those cases as the Veela believe that if a mate is living very far away from the Veela, their magic and destiny will guide them to each other._

…

She put the book down and grabbed another one, ruffling through the pages as she tried to remember the spot from memory.

**Veela Mates**

_After love at first sight, the Veela will try to get closer to their mate, starting by friendship. They will still be very protective of their mate. They will also be patient and slowly woo their mate. Bonding between the Veela and their mate starts with a kiss on the lips when feelings are genuinely reciprocated. The kiss is never initiated by the Veela as they believe in the choice being completely that of the mate. Though, due to the magic that governs the process, the bond will not start if the mate doesn't love the Veela even if a kiss has been initiated. The magic can recognise if the mate's feelings are genuine. Therefore, for the bond to start, the feelings of love have to be reciprocated by the mate. Kissing alone won't do._

_The bonding has multiple stages and the final seal of the bond happens when the Veela and their mate complete the Sanguin Ritus and make love to complete the ritual._

…

It was all here. Right in front of her eyes and she had been too blind to see it. _No… this can't be…I've been such a fool…_ it all pointed to... her mate… she was Fleur Delacour's soulmate… did that mean that Fleur was her soulmate? She tried to think about what it meant… that they were destined to be together by some higher power… or by magic. A couple…? Blushing furiously at the thought, she buried her face in her pillow. She wasn't sure what she felt about the blonde Veela. Did she like her? She knew she did… as a friend. She had never given a thought of anything _more._ She remembered the kiss that Fleur had deposited to the corner of her mouth and flushed, bringing her hand up, fingers fluttering on the spot. She allowed her fingers to move onto her lips, caressing the pliant flesh and wondering what it would have felt like if Fleur had kissed her there.

Suffice to say that Hermione had a really hard time going to bed that night.

ᴥ

The next morning, Hermione woke up a bit late. Realising she was supposed to be meeting her friends in the Great Hall, she quickly showered and got ready. She was going to Hogsmeade again today, this time with Harry and Ron. As she got closer to the Hall, she realised that Fleur would be in there for breakfast and hesitated, steps faltering. She didn't think she was ready to handle Fleur's presence at the moment so she decided to skip breakfast, loitering around in the hallways and only entered the Hall after the Beauxbatons students had left.

"Hermione, where have you been?" asked Ron, his brows furrowed.

"Sorry, I had a hard night and seemed to have trouble getting up this morning," replied Hermione. It was the truth, after all.

"That's ok. You've missed breakfast though" replied Harry.

"It's alright, I shall get something to eat in Hogsmeade," Hermione replied, starting to walk towards the main door.

"Are you alright, Mione?" Ginny was concerned as she peered into Hermione's face. The brunette looked exhausted.

"Yes, nothing the fresh air of Hogsmeade won't cure. Let's go." She replied. She needed something to take her mind off Fleur Delacour.

And with that, the four of them started their trek, in the snowy Scotland weather, for the little village.

ᴥ

It wasn't until Hermione walked into Hogsmeade that she realised that maybe she should have just stayed in her room at Hogwarts. Everything was reminding her of her trip with Fleur yesterday and it just made her heart clench.

The group walked into The Three Broomsticks and quickly commandeered a table.

"I'll go get us our drinks," said Harry before shuffling through the crowd of students to get to the bar where Madam Rosmerta was serving people. Thankfully, it didn't take him that long to get served and he carefully navigated through the crowd, as to not spill anything before sliding the mugs onto their tables and taking a seat beside Ron.

"So, it's good to be together, yeah? We should do this more often," said Ron, eyeing the brunette expectantly, taking a big chug of his butterbeer.

"Yeah," replied Hermione uncommittedly, keeping her eyes on her foamy beverage. Ginny looked at her friend worriedly.

"It's understandable that we haven't had much time to do this much this year with the Tournament and all," replied Harry, defending the brunette.

Ron winced at the mention of the Tournament. Not only was he not in it, but he had to deal with his two friends or more accurately, his best friend and to-be-his-girlfriend not having time for him. "I kinda get the part where you are involved, Harry but why are we wasting time helping Fleur Delacour instead of it just being us friends together. I mean, she's a Veela! You saw how she did in the First Task. She needs no input from Hermione, in fact, Hermione should be helping you only so you can beat her!"

Hermione frowned at his words, she really wanted to tell him that it was actually the opposite, Fleur was helping them, helping Harry, that they were training together but decided against it, knowing that he would want to tag along and end up being a nuisance to them all. Just the thought of the redhead prancing around the blonde like a peacock made her bristle. For the first time, she wondered about why Ron around Fleur made her feel this way. Was it jealousy because she still unconsciously felt something for him or-

It seems Harry thought to keep quiet too as he shook his head, "It's not like that, mate," not willing to say any more.

Ron huffed, taking another large swig at his Butterbeer. He wondered if his friends were under the Veela's thrall. Deciding to change tactics, he replied, "be as it may, I still feel we should be together more, us three, we've been friends since our First Year!"

"And what does that mean?" asked Ginny angrily at her brother, "am I interrupting your 'Trio' time here?"

"No, that wasn't what I meant," the redhead backpedaled, leaning away from his sister's ire.

Hermione just tuned them out as an argument started. She was barely concentrating on what they were saying anyway, her mind still stuck on everything that happened last night and the maelstrom of emotions she has been feeling since then. She wondered how Fleur was feeling, then realised she had run away without caring about the blonde at all. _God, she must be feeling awful! I'd feel awful if our positions were reversed. I was so rude! I have been rude with her since day one! I can't keep hurting her like this,_ thought Hermione, realising how her actions might have been construed, _I can't leave it like this!_ Picking her mug and drowning it in one go, much to the astonishment of her friends, she banged the mug back on the table and quickly shuffled out of her seat, "I remembered, I have this really important research to do for an essay. I'm sorry, I have to go," she said as she hurried to the door.

"Wait, Hermione!" She heard Ron call out behind her but she paid it no mind, quickly exiting the pub into the cold air. Quickening her steps, she set out to return back to the castle.

ᴥ

She marched purposefully, boots sinking in the deep snow that blanketed the area, leaving deep footprints indentations. The trek back to Hogwarts at her brisk pace had been arduous, the cold air biting into her lungs everytime she breathed. She was so concentrated on navigating the snow under her feet that she was caught off guard when her body slammed into something, only a hard hand clamping on her shoulders stopped her from falling.

"Oh I'm sorry-" she hastened to apologise only to come eye to eye with Victor Krum's dark eyes.

"Herm-own-ninny," his gruff voice called out, his hand not leaving her shoulders, "vhere are you going?" He asked, his beady eyes looking at her with suspicion.

Hermione winced at his butchering of her name and took a step back, forcing his hand to drop off her shoulder, "why do you need to know?"

His face changed, contorting into annoyance and anger, "are you going to ve beast?! She has you under her spell, Herm-own-ninny, you have to fight it!" He growled.

"I am not under any spell, Victor and I would like it if you refrained from calling Fleur a beast."

He growled louder, taking a step towards her, "She is a beast! All of vhem are beasts! Ones to prey on people's emotions vith their Thrall, to seduce innocent men! She has you under her spell!"

Hermione's body took a defensive stance, hand quickly going to her pocket and wrapping at her wand, "I am not under any spell and I can see whoever I want, Mr Krum. Now if you would, please, get out of my way," her voice clearly issuing a demand despite the politeness of the words. Her eyes were set and hard, showing that she would not take non-compliance happily.

Krum gritted his teeth but moved aside, having already noticed her hand move to her pocket, most likely where her wand was. The place was too open for him to try anything. "You are making a big mistake, Herm-own-ninny," he spat as she walked past him.

"No, I believe you are the one making the mistake, Mr Krum," she said as a parting shot, not even bothering to turn around as she made her way to the castle.

It only took her half an hour before Hermione found herself in front of the powder-blue door of the Beauxbatons carriage. Knocking nervously, she pulled her coat tighter around her body as she waited for someone to answer the door. It took a few seconds before the door was thrown open and an unknown girl looked at her in question.

"Uhh, hello. I was looking for Fleur Delacour?" she said, fidgeting on the spot.

The girl looked at her curiously before opening the door wider, "I presume you know where to find 'er," she said before walking away.

Hermione looked at the open door nervously before shuffling in, worried that it would close by itself if she took too long. The portraits did that in the castle. She made a beeline for the blonde's room, not wanting to bump into any of the other Beauxbatons students for fear of chickening out. Thankfully, she reached the blonde's door uninterrupted. Knocking, she hoped that the blonde was there. Luck seemed to be on her side as the door opened revealing a dishevelled and tired looking Fleur, eyes red-rimmed.

"'Ermione? What are you doing 'ere?" asked Fleur, surprised to see the brunette here. After what happened last night, she had assumed the worst, that the brunette was so disgusted with her, she had ran away to put distance between them. She had barely slept a wink since.

"I need to speak to you," said Hermione, looking at the blonde, concerned.

"Oh, come in zhen," whispered Fleur, allowing the brunette to enter the room. She closed the door behind her. Looking at the Gryffindor who was nervously shifting on her feet, she added, "'ave a seat," pointing at the armchair in the room.

Hermione nodded and seated herself in the comfortable chair, watching as Fleur took a seat on her bed, facing her. She was struck dumb at how beautiful the blonde was despite the messy hair, red eyes and tired look.

"'Ermione?," Fleur called out, feeling a bit awkward at the silence, "what did you 'ave to talk about?," she asked, despite already having an idea of what the brunette was here to discuss.

Hermione snapped out of her stupor, blushing faintly, "I have a few questions I need to ask you and I want you to tell me the truth," she said seriously. Seeing the blonde nod nervously, she continued, "am I your mate?" She watched as the blonde hesitated before nodding again. Hermione didn't manage to stop the gasp escaping her throat, "why didn't you just tell me?!"

Fleur shook her head, "we cannot just tell, it doesn't work like zhat," she replied, fidgeting nervously, worried that the brunette would be angry at her secret keeping.

"So, what does this mean now?," asked Hermione, voice full of uncertainty. Thinking she was Fleur's mate had been a lot to take in but having the blonde confirmed it was… overwhelming.

"It means whatever you want it to mean, 'Ermione," replied Fleur, cerulean eyes full of sincerity. While she wanted it all with Hermione, she didn't want to rush and spook the brunette. If Hermione didn't want her like _that_ , she'd deal with it… it'd break her heart irreparably but she'd take whatever the brunette was willing to give.

Hermione hadn't really expected that answer. She thought Fleur would tell her that they'd get together, be a couple just like the Veela magic had intended. Thinking about it, it didn't really sound bad or… foreign... but she wasn't sure what she felt for the blonde and didn't want to hurt her by making a mistake. She cared too much for the blonde to risk their friendship.

"I don't know what I feel about you, Fleur," she said sincerely before hurrying to add "but I'd like to find out," when she saw the blonde's face fall.

"Really?," asked Fleur, not being able to hide the hope in her voice. It was more than she could ever ask for.

"Yes," replied Hermione, shyly, "I don't want to hurt you. Can we stay friends and maybe spend some more time together... for me to figure it out? Maybe we can be open and talk about it."

Fleur smiled and nodded, "no matter what, we'll always be friends, 'Ermione and I will answer any questions you 'ave. You can ask me anything about zhis and I promise to answer honestly. And spending time wiz you is my favourite thing to do..." she said, smiling reassuringly. Any time with her mate was like a gift from the gods.

Hermione blushing at the words, feeling that they were different now. Before, Fleur's words had sounded friendly but now, it felt more like… flirting. Her heart sped up at the thought, it was a nice feeling. "There's still some time to this Sunday, would you like to spend it at the lake?," she asked shyly.

"Wiz pleasure," replied Fleur, smiling at the cuteness of the shy girl. She fell more in love.

ᴥ

Fleur sighed as she dropped on her bed unceremoniously. She had just spent a full day with Hermione. They went to the lake, with the pair of them walking side by side, a bit closer than usual, their shoulders and hands brushing together multiple times. No words were spoken but Fleur had noticed a shy blush on Hermione's face as the brunette surreptitiously glanced down and eyed her hand and had to try so hard to keep herself from grinning, not wanting to embarrass the Gryffindor. Despite wanting to take Hermione's hand, she did nothing, not wanting to seem too pushy. She was leaving it all to Hermione to make the first moves.

They got to their spot and spent their time talking about generic things, getting to know each other even better. Then they had dinner together in the Great Hall, just discussing food and different dishes from each other's country. She wondered about this new arrangement of theirs. Friends but tentatively seeing if there could be more. It had a lot of good possibilities but also endless possibilities for Fleur to get hurt. She didn't have much of a choice though, Hermione was her mate. She had to take the chance… because Hermione was worth it, the possibility of their love was worth it.

She was also worried of what Hermione would think about being a Veela's mate. It wasn't exactly like typical relationships. Veela relationships were intense as Veelas lived for love. They always stayed close to their mate, always cherishing every moment spent together and were still left wanting more. They were fiercely protective yet needy for their partner. The fact that once sealed, both parties would be able to feel each other's emotions just added to the flames. A Veela's relationship was the joining of two wholes to make a much more powerful being, a one that could coexist separately in body yet never to be separated in mind and soul. It was intense, powerful and not easy of a joining. She knew from Day One that Hermione was not one to shy from hard things but she worried if such a joining would be what Hermione needed because if it wasn't, then there would be little hope, it would be impossible for Fleur to go against her very nature. She kept hope though. She had never seen incompatible pairings. The Veela magic seems to just _know_ the best person suited for each of the Veelas.

Hermione walked into the Common Room with a slight smile threatening to erupt on her face. She had had a splendid time with the blonde at the lake. They had spent their time chatting, Hermione having decided to ask more about mates another time to keep the day on a lighter tone, they would have time to go over what it meant another day. Being around Fleur gave her the same happy feeling as always but now there was a different tone to it and it was making her feel fluttering in her stomach...it was such a foreign-

"Where have you been?" asked Ron, arms crossed over his chest. He was quite annoyed. After getting so much trouble to plan something with the brunette, he had finally got her to agree to spend the day with him at Hogsmeade. It hadn't even been only the two of them, he had had to make it a group outing to get her to agree and she ran off not even fifteen minutes into Hogsmeade!

Hermione skidded to a halt, realising that she hadn't been aware of her surroundings in her daydream and was inches from bumping into the redhead, "Ron! You startled me!" she said, bringing a hand to her chest where her heart was pounding.

"I ask again, where have you been?" he continued, "you disappeared from Hogsmeade, and don't think I didn't see you having dinner with Fleur," he hissed, voice laced with irritation.

Hermione frowned, "wha-, yeah I had something to do and I had dinner with Fleur, what's the issue?" She didn't like his tone and wasn't liking where this conversation was going.

"Fleur, always Fleur. Come on, Hermione. She's Harry's competition! She's probably using you to get to him! Get information on how to best him! You barely have time for your friends anymore, for me anymore!" he spat, his voice getting louder, not noticing the gazes of the other Gryffindors in the room zeroing on the pair.

Hermione could feel the others' gazes on her and felt her ire increase, "Fleur is not using me and it is NONE of your business, Ronald. I spend my time with whoever I want," she hissed.

"How are we supposed to mend our relationship if we barely spend a second together," he growled. Why were women so daft!?

It took all the effort to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Taking a menacing step forward, she watched in satisfaction as Ron stumbled backwards in fear at the look on her face, "I will say this one last time," she enunciated, her voice travelling loud and clear over the whole room, "There. Is. Nothing. Going. On. Between. Us. We are not in a relationship, nor will we be in one. There. Is. Nothing. To. Mend. At this point, with your boorish behaviour, I'm not even sure there is a friendship involved!" and with that, she walked around him and made a beeline for her bedroom. Stupid redheads! Stupid boys! What's with them today?! She wouldn't waste any more energy on them though, she had a blue-eyed blonde woman to figure out.


	15. Baby Steps

Hermione smiled as she saw Fleur enter the Muggle studies classroom and slipped in the seat next to her. "Hey," she greeted, shuffling a bit on the bench to make space for the blonde.

"Hello 'Ermione," Fleur greeted back, shuffling closer to the brunette as soon as she was seated.

"Morning class!" Professor Burbage called out. "As usual, wands away unless for clean ups" With a flick of her wand, she conjured the topic of the day on every table.

Fleur eyed the spread in front of her, curiously. There was a fruit and vegetable basket with strawberries, peeled oranges, apples, mangoes, spinach and what not. There was even kale! There was a bottle of honey, a jug of milk, a bucket of ice, a few glasses and a weird contraption next to it. She also noticed a weird rectangular box with a switch and three holes in them.

"The machine you have in front of you, is what is called a Blender by the Muggles," said the Professor, "As the name suggests, it is used to blend things, mostly fruits and vegetables to make concoctions that the muggles consume. You have a few things in front of you, try your own combinations and see what you come up with. Again, it needs to be powered by electricity so check your book on how to get started." And with that, she sat at her desk.

Fleur opened her book, looking for the chapter on electricity. While she knew Hermione already knew the answer, she didn't want to make it as if she was relying on her to get all the answers. Plus Hermione was a muggle, she wanted to learn more about her mate. _Aha!_ She found the correct page. So basically you had to plug the three prong cord into the three hole rectangular box. _Easy!_ She did just that and flicked the switch on.

Hermione looked at the satisfied face that Fleur was making and stifled her urge to chuckle. The blonde was too cute sometimes. "That was good, Fleur," she said watching as the blonde preened under the compliment.

"Have you ever had one of zhese concoctions, 'Ermione?" asked Fleur, picking through the fruit basket. She eyed the kale in distaste.

Hermione nodded, "I have. The ones with fruits and vegetables, we call them smoothies. My mum used to make mango ones for us. I also like making milkshakes in these, you use milk, ice-cream and ice," she explained.

Fleur watched as the brunette opened up an assembly manual for her and demonstrated putting it together.

She pulled it apart again and pushed the pieces towards her, "Here, you try. Be careful, the blade is sharp," she warned. She watched the blonde nod and get to work, her tongue poking out of her lips slightly as she concentrated on her task. She smiled at her adorably.

Fleur took a lot longer to put it together but in the end she managed it and looked at Hermione with pride, eyes full of glee. If Hermione didn't know her, she would consider her to be such a child. "Now what?" She asked excitedly.

"Now we blend," said Hermione, throwing her ingredients, milk, honey, a banana, strawberries and ice in the blender jar under the watchful eyes of the blonde. Securing the lid properly, she turned it on. Wrooooommmm, the racket startled everyone as they turned to look at her. Shrugging, she kept blending.

"Why does it make so much noise, 'Ermione?!" Fleur shouted over the racket.

"The motors are working to blend, it's bound to make some noise," replied Hermione, continuing her blending until the mixture was of the right consistency. "It's better if your fruits are frozen," she said as she finished and poured the mixture in a glass and handed it to Fleur, looking at her expectantly.

Fleur eyed the pink drink and carefully brought it to her nose for a sniff. It smelled like strawberries… Taking a tentative sip, she hummed. It was good! "This is delicious, 'Ermione!"

Hermione blushed. For some reason, feeding the blonde always made her feel weird. "Thanks!" Taking out her wand, she cleaned up everything and pushed the machine towards the blonde, "Your turn."

Fleur took another healthy sip of her beverage. "Okay," she replied, eyeing her choice of fruits. What shall she choose… Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

Hermione took her eyes off the deciding Veela and watched her classmates. Some were still leafing through the instruction manual while others had managed to get blending but every time the noise started, they would scutter away. She'd cackle at the ridiculousness of it if she wasn't in class.

Wrrrroooom-SPLAT!

A shock of icy liquid hit her face. She spluttered, tasting mangoes as she turned to Fleur, the blonde just as much in shock as her, covered from head to chest in milk and chunks of mango and ice. Hermione knew she looked just as bad, maybe slightly less because she was on the side but couldn't stop herself from bursting into laughter.

Fleur pouted as the brunette laughed at her. She had made a mess… She crossed her arms to her chest, wincing when it came into contact with the mixture splattered all over her clothes.

Hermione breathed in hard, eyes tearing up in mirth. She took one more look at the blonde and burst out laughing again.

Fleur pouted even harder. Hmff, it wasn't even funny!

Taking pity on the soaked Fleur, Hermione cast a quick Scourgify on both of them and their workbench to clean up the mess, "You are supposed to close the lid, Fleur," she said, chuckling and handed the aforementioned piece of equipment to the still pouting blonde.

"I knew zhat," grumbled Fleur, starting all over again. It wasn't her fault Muggles made things so complicated!

This time, Hermione kept her eyes on her class partner, watching in amusement as the blonde went through the motions grumpily, a slight blush adorning her pale cheeks. It was adorable. God, what was she going to do with this Veela…

 _Kiss her?_ resonated in her brain and Hermione blushed at the thought and concentrated back on the blonde to avoid any more mishaps.

Fleur smiled as she walked back to the carriage. She had had fun with Hermione in class, despite the one mess. The mango smoothie tasted great! She was proud. They did more variations, Hermione even getting Fleur to try her kale blend. It hadn't been that bad, the taste masked by other ingredients but Fleur still liked the ones without it better. They had been allowed to take some away so Hermione had made more for her. Fleur now had a chilled mason jar of mango smoothie in her bag.

"Get out of my vay, beast," she heard behind her before she was shouldered violently, her years of training and sport, the only thing that helped her keep her balance and not fall face first on the floor. She scowled and turned to look at the annoying Bulgarian.

"Touch me again and I'll curse you all the way back to Bulgarie!" She growled.

Krum sneered, "I wouldn't touch you vith a ten-foot pole, no idea vat sort of creature disease you have!"

"Mais quelle est ton probleme, bordel?! What is your fucking problem?!" shouted Fleur, exasperated at the boy.

"You, you are the problem. Don't think I didn't see you viz Herm-own-ninny at the village. Stay away from her," he growled, taking a few steps towards her to look more menacing.

Fleur glared at him, "What iz your business wiz 'Ermione?"

Krum's face split into an eerie grin that sent shivers down Fleur's spine, not the good kind, "She vill be my intended. She vill make a good wife to me, Victor Krum, Son of Andrei Borislav Krum, the Butcher of Bulgaria."

Fleur's eyes widened in recognition, flaring in fury and disgust. His father, the 'Butcher' had earned his name from the amount of creatures he had hunted and slain, for sport and bigotry. Krum wasn't that unique of a name for Bulgarians so she hadn't put two and two together. For this boy to even think about Hermione, she was ready to claw his eyes out.

"I vill be a Butcher too, one day" he said proudly, "And vill proudly mount you and your flock's heads on my wall."

Fleur didn't even notice herself drawing her wand and would have blasted him off had Dumbledore not appeared by their side, "Champions," his voice was calm but Fleur noticed a tightness in his eyes, "please, head back to drop your bags. Dinner will start shortly and we wouldn't want you all to be late."

Krum sneered at the interruption and turned around,stomping back to his ship.

Fleur nodded at the Hogwarts Headmaster before making her way towards the carriage. She really didn't want the brute of a Bulgarian bothering her but his words worried her. She had already been wary of him, but now knowing about his father and his fixation with Hermione made her apprehensive. She knew that Hermione would never be interested in a man like him. He went against everything that Hermione stood for such as equality for creatures. No, he was just a hunter, a murderer, who cared little about the beings of their world. It was one thing to kill for food. Fleur would never begrudge her dragon for hunting animals to eat… but hunting for trophies, it was despicable, inhumane. She berated herself for not knowing the Butcher's son was amongst them, so close to her flock. She didn't even know the Butcher had a son. She had to keep an eye on him, and inform the others. A letter to the Clan was also necessary.

Deciding not to let the man sour her good mood, she put her things in her room and made her way back to the castle Great Hall for dinner. She walked in and immediately spotted Hermione seated at the Gryffindor table. Making a beeline for the brunette, she was warmly greeted as Hermione shuffled sideways to make space on the bench for her.

"Hello everyone," she greeted, smiling as Harry and Ginny greeted her back. She was happy to notice the absence of Ronald.

"Hey, are you ok?" asked Hermione worried, the blonde had a shadow on her face.

"Yes, I'm fine," replied Fleur giving a smile of reassurance to the brunette.

Hermione wasn't convinced but let it go. She took her plate and served herself some hot piping food and also picked Fleur's plate, asking her what she would like.

Fleur looked adoringly at the brunette and just pointed out what she wanted, watching as the Gryffindor served her the laden plate with a smile.

Cutting into her stuffed chicken breast, Fleur asked Harry, "Any luck wiz your egg?"

Harry shook his head, "None. I've hit it with multiple spells, dropped it from a height, flown with it on my broom, played music to it and even screamed back at it, nothing," he replied, frustrated.

Fleur laughed in amusement at his words, "I 'ave kicked it down the hills, set fire to it, frozen it, thrown it off a 'igh tree, buried it and screamed back at it as well," she replied, grinning.

Harry grinned back like a mad scientist, "what should we try next?"

Hermione huffed, "instead of you two doing all these crazy things and possibly breaking it, we should go to the library to see if we can find out anything."

"That thing is indestructible," argued Harry, watching as Fleur munched on her chicken and nodded at his statement.

"Uhuh, totally unbreakable," added Fleur after she swallowed her food, "I'm tempted to sit on it like a chicken to see if it hatches," she mulled at that idea.

Hermione snorted at the image that appeared in her head, looking at the blonde incredulously.

"What?!" asked Fleur, indignantly, "it's an egg!" She argued.

"And you are a bird, you Veela," laughed Hermione.

Fleur shrugged, they were sorta birds but not exactly. They definitely didn't lay eggs though.

Harry grimaced to the thought of having to sit on his egg, "I hope that is not it."

"We'll figure it out, 'Arry," Fleur reassured the green-eyed boy. They would figure it, they had to.

It was Saturday and Fleur was in an awesome mood. She had plans with Hermione all day long. What more could a girl ask for? They would have breakfast together then catch up with their homework in the library then go to the lake to relax and chat. Then, at the end of the day, they would have dinner together. She quickly got dressed and made her way to the castle. The snow was still heavily packed on the ground making her trek to the castle a bit more difficult but nothing would dampen her mood, not the cold (that she despises- what? She got cold easily!), not the hard trek, not even the annoying face of Victor Krum glaring at her from the Slytherin table as she approached the Gryffindor one, not even that! She was still keeping an eye on him though and had already owled the Clan.

She smiled as she slipped next to the brunette, "Good morning 'Ermione!" She said cheerfully, delighted at the brilliant smile she got back, "where is everyone else?" She asked, looking at the empty spots around the Gryffindor.

"Good morning, Fleur," replied Hermione, "they are all probably sleeping in."

"Oh," Fleur didn't mind at all, she had Hermione all to herself! Pouring herself a big mug of hot chocolate, she sipped at it and sighed, loving as it warmed her right to her toes.

Hermione looked on with amusement, "Fan of chocolate, huh?" She teased.

"Who isn't?" Fleur teased back, "It's ze best thing to drink on such a cold dreary day. I don't like ze cold," she said pouting.

"You've come to the wrong place," said Hermione, laughing.

"Nhhuh, you are in ze wrong place, 'Ermione."

"Don't you mean Hogwarts is in the wrong place?" Hermione asked, perplexed.

Fleur shrugged, "zat too. Definitely should have been in a warmer spot, but I meant you…"

"Why is that?" Hermione was having a hard time following.

A cheeky smile erupted on the blonde's face as she replied, "I go where you go, my 'Ermione."

Hermione flushed at the words, especially when she realised it wasn't just one of Fleur's jokes but there was some actual truth to it. Mock-scowling at the blonde, she gently punched her on the shoulder, "Stop you! she growled, trying to keep the smile threatening to erupt on her face. For some reason, Fleur calling her **my** 'Ermione caused a fluttering in her belly.

Fleur gasped and held her shoulder jokingly, "you wound me, my 'Ermione," she whined, pouting at the brunette but her eyes were shining with mirth.

Hermione picked a croissant and shoved it into the blonde's hand, "Eat! At least you will stop speaking nonsense with your mouth occupied!"

Fleur looked at the brunette with amusement because really? That was given to her on a silver platter. "My 'Ermione, zhere are so many better ways to, as you suggested, keep my mouth occupied," she said grinning widely.

Hermione blushed so hard, she was sure steam was coming out of her ears. She gaped at the blonde's forwardness.

Fleur laughed, deciding to give her mate a reprieve and munched on her croissant, still grinning like a maniac.

Hermione's ears roared. This woman was going to be the death of her!

With breakfast finished, the pair made their way to their little corner in the library.

"What have you left to work on?" asked Hermione as she pulled her parchments, quills and ink out of her bag.

"Hmm, potions and Muggle studies," replied Fleur.

Hermione nodded, "I have Charms and Potions," she informed.

"Why don't we start wiz Potions?" asked Fleur.

"I'm okay with that," and with that, they started on the three feet of parchment pre-essay that Snape had requested on Amortentia, which was the new potion they were going to have a look at in the next class.

Half an hour into it, Fleur put her quill down to stretch her fingers. She observed Hermione, fully concentrated in her work as she scratched on her parchment, ink stain on her fingers and smiled. The brunette was beautiful. Her thoughts went back to her essay, drawing similarities to the potion with what her bond felt with her mate.

"What?" asked Hermione, eyes still fixed on her essay but she had felt the blonde's gaze on her and realised that the Veela had stopped writing from the absence of scratching sounds from across the table.

"Nozhing, I'm just thinking," replied Fleur.

Deciding to take a break, Hermione put her quill down and looked up, "About what?"

"About ze similarities and differences of ze Amortentia to a Veela's bond wiz zheir mate"

Now fully intrigued, Hermione couldn't wait to ask, "and what are they?"

"Dissimilar in ze sense zhat Amortentia makes people lose zheir sense while ze bond feels like finally, everything iz starting to make sense," replied Fleur, smiling shyly at her mate, "Ze scent though iz intriguing. I am excited to know what ze Amortentia will smell to me, despite feeling like I already know."

Hermione blushed slightly, wondering what aroma the blonde would smell... like, would she smell her? Is that a good thing? Hermione wasn't sure what she smelled like. What if she smelled bad? Like, of old moldy books or something. She started worrying as she thought about it.

"I wonder…" Fleur's gentle voice broke her out of her rumination, "what you would smell," she said hesitantly.

Hermione thought about it and realised why the blonde looked so hesitant. She was worried Hermione wouldn't smell _her_. She stayed quiet though, knowing that nothing she could say would change anything. They would have to wait for the day to find out.

They finished their homework, with Hermione giving a cursory look to Fleur's Muggle studies essay and leaving a few comments. Reading the blonde's writing was quite intriguing, it gave her a different perspective and an insider's look on how the Veela experienced muggle things...with childlike curiosity, from what it seems.

They had lunch in the kitchens, giving a quick visit to the elves and made their way to the lake with some goodies Dobby had packed for them. They arrived at their spot and Fleur started clearing up the snow to spread their blanket down next to a large tree. Warming spells and a few jarred blue fires after, they were ready and got settled together on the blanket, a second one wrapped around their shoulders.

Fleur rummaged through Dobby's given basket, pulling out a box of chocolates and mini pastries. She placed them on her legs, within reach of both of them and settled her back against the tree, left shoulder and arm touching Hermione's right.

"I'm surprised to have you agree to sit here with how much you said you dislike the cold, " said Hermione as she opened her book. It was nothing connected to schoolwork, just something for light reading.

Fleur turned to look at her and smiled, "I zhink we 'ave enough warmth 'ere," she said, talking about the warming spells, jarred fires but mostly Hermione's body warmth radiating within their little blanket cocoon.

Hermione nodded, pleased that the blonde wasn't feeling cold and uncomfortable. She watched as the Veela pulled out a pencil and sketchbook and started putting smooth curves on the blank page. She turned back to her reading.

They chatted about random things for about a quarter of an hour before Hermione voiced out, "Fleur, what does the bond feel like?"

Fleur looked up, gazing thoughtfully at the lake, "Hmmm, like the sun shining down on your skin on a beautiful summer day, I feel a warmth spread through me wiz you near," she replied honestly, "my senses are more attuned to you, I can sense your presence when you are near, I can pick out your footsteps out of everyone's, I would recognise your voice in a crowd."

Hermione was stunned at the reply.

While she had read the books that Fleur had given her, they had explained the initiation of the bond, how it happens, the requirements for growing and completing the bond. The effects and feel of the bond had been touched on minimally. So all this was news to her.

"It's interesting, I think. It took me some time to differentiate between ze things zhat were happening to me because of my Veela maturity change and ze things that were because of what I feel for you," mused Fleur, watching the waves crash on the sandy shore.

"Do you ever feel like it's too much? Or that you would have liked to have the option to choose your mate?" Hermione asked hesitantly, already feeling bad for asking when she saw Fleur wince at her words.

"No," replied Fleur resolutely. "Veela's mates and zheir bond can never be too much. It's everything we want and need and more zhan zhat. As for choosing our person, we do. Ze bond just recognises ze person for you but nothing starts until you choose zhem. People don't realise zhat because ze choice is instantaneous for most of us. I didn't 'ave to choose you but I did because I wanted to, I needed you, be it as a friend or more..." She played with a few blades of grass by her side, twirling them around her fingers as she avoided Hermione's gaze.

Hermione touched the blonde's arm to get her to look at her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend."

Fleur just shrugged. Maybe Hermione was trying to tell her something, that the brunette didn't like the idea of mates and didn't want to choose her. The thought sent a searing pain through her chest but she didn't let it show, schooling her features and picking up her sketchbook again. The incomplete outline of Hermione's face taunted her. Flipping the page, she started anew.

Hermione bit her lip, noticing the change in the mood and the slight slump in Fleur's shoulders and wished she hadn't asked the question. She picked at her book dejectedly, feeling bad for hurting the blonde.

The silence stretched on for half an hour, only the scratch of Fleur's pencil reminding Hermione that the blonde was still sitting next to her. The silence felt weird and awkward because they rarely stayed quiet with each other, always having something to say despite having already shared so much. Fleur was someone who didn't mind Hermione rambling about her books and she enjoyed Fleur's discussions as well. Closing her book, she turned to the blonde, "Why choose me?"

Fleur looked up from her drawing of an Abraxan to look at the brunette in surprise. "Why not?" she asked.

Hermione shrugged, "I don't know. I'm sure you have met a lot of people. Why me? Why not someone in France or another Veela."

"I… You are amazing, 'Ermione, I don't zhink anyone else would be ze right choice."

The blonde said it with such conviction that it took Hermione's breath away. "I'm sorry for my question earlier. I didn't mean to hurt you… I ignorantly thought it wasn't a choice. I just wasn't sure you would choose me if you could have one."

Fleur smiled at the brunette, looking deep into her chocolate eyes, "I'd choose you every single time, 'Ermione."

The warmth that filled her chest left Hermione utterly confused.


	16. Yule Announcement

The door opened bringing Hermione's attention to McGonagall, who walked in looking as stern as usual. She was in a bad mood today, having a trying day. Ron was keeping his distance which she was happy about but that meant that now Harry was torn between the two, trying to spend as much time with both of them. She hadn't seen Fleur at breakfast this morning. On top of all that, one of her favourite classes, Transfiguration, was cancelled for whatever this is. She was quite intrigued though. For all of her time at Hogwarts, McGonagall has only taught Transfiguration and she wondered what exactly this class was about.

"Line up," said Minerva, "boys on one side, girls on the other." She watched as the students scrambled to follow her orders. "As many of you are aware, the Triwizard Tournament is not just a Tournament but also the chance to collaborate with students of other schools. It is to that spirit that we have the Yule Ball. The ball is a chance for everyone to let their hair down and break away from the stress of the Tournament. Champions will open the dance floor," she said eyeing Harry Potter sharply through her glasses. "That doesn't mean that I will allow you all to bring shame to the Gryffindors by leaving you to trample the feet of your dance partners, should you find someone to accompany you to the ball. So today, we are learning the intricacies of dancing," she finished with a tone of finality.

To say Hermione was baffled would be an understatement and from the looks on her classmates' faces, they were just as baffled as her.

"Mister Weasley, step forward" McGonagall called out, watching as the redhead looked at her in shock before stumbling forward. She flicked her wand at the gramophone set in the corner of the classroom. "Now, put your hands on my waist," she said as the music started.

Ron gapped, "Your what, Professor?!"

"My waist, Mr Weasley!"

Hermione looked on, her face scrunching into an incredulous look as she looked at the scene in front of her, Ron's face purple in embarrassment as the class snickered and she fought the urge to burst in laughter. God, this was hilarious! She changed her mind, she was having the best day! She would only need to get to see Fleur and it would be an excellent day! She flushed at the thought. Since when did whether she saw the blonde or not, influence her day?! Her mind was taken off the thought when the snickers got louder and she looked back up to see McGonagall trying to teach Ron how to dip her. Her eyes watered as she contained her laugh. This day was amazing!

ᴥ

Fleur sighed, bummed that she had missed breakfast in the Great Hall and thus, her dosage of Hermione in the morning. She pouted, she was missing the brunette already! Alas, Madame Maxime had requested for her to have breakfast with her in the carriage. She couldn't refuse her Headmistress, plus the woman had looked like she had something important to say. It turned out that it was indeed important news, they were to attend the Yule ball organised by Hogwarts and as a Champion, it was compulsory for her to find a partner to go with as she was to open the dance floor with the other Champions. Just her luck! Like, there was only one person she wanted to go with but she wondered if asking Hermione to the ball was too forward... too soon. After all, the Gryffindor had said she would like to go slow and figure out her feelings... Going to the ball with her, Beauxbatons Champion in full view of her school was definitely not going slow. Just her luck!

ᴥ

Hermione was frustrated. She was known to be good at everything, she prided herself to be good at everything which is why her inability to fly brooms annoyed her so much but she had kinda gotten over it, it was okay because she was afraid of heights and she was actually trying to get better, having ridden Fleur's dragon. But right now, there was no reason why she was sucking at this so much! Dancing was okay, she enjoyed it, she wasn't great at it but this bad?! Come on! She had danced with Fleur at the Delacour party and it had been okay! She winced as she stepped on Dean's foot for the umpteenth time. She wasn't that uncoordinated so why was this not working?!

"That will be all for today. We shall resume next week," said Minerva, exasperated at her students, "please put in some practice so the class won't be an utter disaster like this one," and with that, she walked out.

Huffing in annoyance, she quickly picked her bag and walked out. She was ready to forget about this and go to the Great Hall for lunch, see if Fleur was there. Then later, she would drop by the library to pick some books on waltzing. There has to be something!

ᴥ

Fleur's eyes lit up when she saw Hermione walk into the Hall. She was a sight for sore eyes but as she got closer, Fleur could see a scowl on her face and wondered what had put it there. Though, some of it cleared up once the Gryffindor saw her and she watched as the brunette made a beeline for her before slipping in the seat next to her.

"Hey," greeted Hermione gently, "you weren't here at breakfast, everything okay?" She asked, voicing her worry.

Fleur smiled, "Yes, Madame Maxime wanted to talk to me about ze Yule ball," she replied.

Hermione nodded, "Yeah, we learnt about it just now. Poor Harry, he's going to have to open the dance," she said, feeling for the Hogwarts Champion before suddenly realising that Fleur would have to open the dance as well since she was a Champion, "you do too!" She exclaimed.

Fleur nodded, shrugging as she speared a piece of chicken onto her fork, "Yes, I 'ave to."

Suddenly feeling a bit out of sorts, wondering who the blonde was taking as her partner, Hermione busied herself with filling her plate with food. It was only after a few minutes that she found the courage to say more, "how are you feeling about it?"

Fleur played with her food, not sure what she could say, "I feel fine, dancing is fun. Just not sure who I'll be doing it with. The partner is important in how the dance goes," she said uncommitted, not wanting to say anything that could make the brunette feel pressured.

"Oh," Hermione replied, nodding as her shoulders slumped slightly. Of course, the partner was important in the dance, that was true and the blonde was going to be opening the dancing in front of all the schools, it had to be perfect and Hermione was less than perfect, Dean's toes were evidence of that.

Fleur observed the brunette not sure what her expression meant and to be honest, too scared to ask. She watched as the brunette ate silently and followed suit, wondering why the silence felt… uncomfortable.

ᴥ

Hermione threw herself onto her bed. She had stuck to the Gryffindor table for dinner tonight, sitting with Ginny and Harry while Ron kept his distance. Watching the blonde from afar, their eyes met multiple times during the dinner. Unfortunately, she didn't get a chance to talk to the blonde afterwards, the Veela being called upon by her Headmistress. So instead, she went back to her room. She had showered and changed into her pyjamas and was now ready for bed, except her mind was still running around. She wondered who would end up being Fleur's partner at the ball… one of the Beauxbatons girls outside of the blonde's group? She tried to imagine Fleur dancing with another girl and was shocked to feel a fiery feeling burn into her chest like acid. What was that?! Any deeper thought about the feeling in her chest was interrupted by the warming of her bracelet. She quickly slipped it off, turning it into the parchment.

 **F:** **Sorry, didn't get a chance to speak to you at dinner. I didn't want to end the day without saying good night.**

Hermione smiled, feeling her heart flutter at the words. She wondered if this was how the teenagers from her school in muggle Britain felt when they got messages from a person of their interest on their mobile phones. Quickly taking the quill, she scratched a reply.

**H: Not sleeping yet.**

**F: Something on your mind?**

Hermione admired the loopy cursive that was Fleur's handwriting compared to her clean print style, taking the time to gather her thoughts to answer the blonde. She couldn't tell her what exactly was bothering her because she didn't know what it was. So she decided to talk about what she did know.

**H: I'm not doing so well at this dancing thing.**

**F: Really? You danced well at my birthday party.**

**H: Seems I've forgotten how to… or like you said, the partner matters so the only thing that made me not look like a fool in front of your family was you.**

**F: I seriously doubt that! Try to relax and enjoy it. It is also important to trust your partner's lead. You'll do great!**

**H: Thanks, I'll try that.**

**F: For now, try to get some rest. Goodnight Hermione :)**

**H: Goodnight Fleur :)**

She spelled the parchment and quill back into its bracelet form, feeling happy to feel its weight on her wrist again as she slipped it back on. She fingered the little blue feather from the Veela, flushing when she remembered it came from Fleur. It felt intimate to have been given such a thing now. She knew that magical creatures were very territorial about such things, in a world that used them for wand making, potions and what not. She frowned at the thought. She pulled back her sleeve a bit to uncover the exact replica of the feather tattooed on her wrist, seemingly visible to only the Veelas. No one, Ron, Ginny or Harry have noticed it despite being in clear view. A mark of privilege, allowing her slightly closer to Fleur's circle. That felt even more intimate, it was like having Fleur marked on her skin. The thought made an enticing warmth spread through her body from head to toe and a fluttering erupt in her belly. She wondered if she would be allowed closer into the Veela circle now that she was Fleur's mate or if that was only for pairs who had completed the bond. Tracing the mark with her finger, she allowed the caress to lull her to sleep.

ᴥ

Saturday arrived pretty quickly and Hermione found both Fleur and Harry chomping away at massive plates of food at the Gryffindor table.

"Morning! What's gotten into you guys?" She asked, serving herself a plate of chocolate chip pancakes.

"Good morning, 'Ermione," greeted the blonde brightly.

"We are trying to figure out the eggs today, remember? We are just making sure we have enough energy," said Harry, cutting into his sausages.

Hermione nodded. Yeah, the two had planned to work together and sort out the egg this weekend. She was just along for the ride… and to make sure they did nothing crazy.

After all breakfast had been consumed, the trio walked out of the castle. They made a detour to Hagrid's hut first so they could say a quick hello to Hagrid and Vahriin. Harry was still amazed at the beast.

"I'm taking her for a walk, Monsieur 'Agrid," said Fleur as she approached her dragon.

"Sure, sure," said Hagrid from where he was tending to his frozen over garden with his dog.

The trio said their quick goodbyes and made their way to a clearing by the lake, Vahriin padding along, enjoying making huge footprints in the snow.

"So, how are we doing this?" Hermione asked, clearing a spot on the ground for her to drop her bag down and sit. She dug out a parchment and quill. What? She was keeping notes of their experiments and observations. Someone had to!

The two Champions pulled out their respective eggs and examined them. Vahriin settled herself in the snow, next to Hermione, much to the brunette's surprise and delight and observed the little humans.

"Zhere iz no difference between zhem from what I can see," said Fleur, eyeing the two eggs.

"Let's see if they sound different," said Harry and they both flicked the eggs open. Everyone winced at double the piercing sound while Vahriin whined. Harry and Fleur quickly shut them.

"Twice as horrible is my observation," said Hermione, working her jaw to get her ears to stop ringing.

"We haven't tried burying them in the snow?" suggested Harry.

"Please, do it one at a time," said Hermione, fishing out earmuffs from her bag, the ones they use for Mandrakes in Herbology, and handed them out. Professor Sprout had all been happy to help when she asked her for them.

"Do you 'ave one more?" asked Fleur.

Hermione looked at her perplexed and nodded, retrieving the one she had intended for Alexia, just in case, she tagged along.

Fleur took the extra earmuff and with a quick 'Engorgio', turned it into a massive earmuff. She carefully levitated the object to Vahriin's ear, the dragon puffing a small ball of fire in gratitude.

Fleur put hers on and noticed Hermione with hers on. She was cute with them on. "Do we hear each other?" she asked, grinning when the others nodded, even Vahriin. Thank Hermione for getting the earmuffs that cancelled loud noises instead of everything.

"Ok, let's get to it," said Harry, flicking his egg open and noting in satisfaction that all he could hear was a low whine. Finally a reprieve! He quickly buried it into the snow with a flick of his wand and waited for a change in sound and was disappointed to notice no difference. He fished out the egg and closed it, "That's not it."

Hermione frowned and scribbled on her parchment. It was going to be a long day.

ᴥ

The two Champions were sprawled on the ground, not bothered by the snow at all. In fact, the snow was helping to cool their sweaty and overheated bodies. They had tried everything! They had run with it, hit the eggs together like petanque, had Vahriin breath fire on it which only left the egg intact on a patch of smouldering grass once Fleur put out the fire.

Fleur had shrugged her coat off early but now pulled off her sweater as well leaving her in just her shirt and pants. It was too hot, Vahriin's fire had heated up the area really good and their running hadn't helped.

"Bloody hell!" Harry wheezed. This was turning into more of a workout than Quidditch.

Hermione looked at the two with amusement and was going to suggest a break when Vahriin got up from beside her and padded closer to the blonde's egg.

"It's not a real egg, Rinn, remember?" said Fleur as she sat up and eyed her dragon.

Vahrinn just huffed and booted the egg with her foot, making it open and sending it screaming into the lake. It disappeared with a 'plop' into the murky waters as the trio watched gapping in shock.

"Vahriin!" Fleur cried out, wasting no time in running to the lake and diving in.

Hermione was still in shock as she looked as the blonde's body disappeared into the water and winced, knowing the water must be freezing cold. Turning to look at the dragon, she was sure there was a smirk on the beast's face as the beast settled back beside her.

A bubbling noise took her attention away from the dragon and she turned back to see Fleur emerge from the water, spluttering, a golden egg held triumphantly in her hand. What she wasn't expecting was the blonde to burst out in laughter as she got out. Was she laughing at Vahriin's prank or does hypothermia induce hysteria into people? She started getting concerned and quickly pulled out her wand to help dry and warm up the blonde.

Fleur took a deep breath to calm her laughter, looking at Hermione in gratitude for drying her up quickly and slipping a coat on her shoulders. She looked at Vahriin and chucked the egg at the dragon, "You knew!"

Vahriin just huffed.

Fleur looked at her companions who were looking at her in confusion, "Water iz ze answer. You need to open it underwater," she said grinning, watching as their face changed in comprehension.

"Bloody hell!" laughed Harry.

"Zhough, I would recommend you do it in a bath, 'Arry. The lake is freezing!"

"Your dragon knew!" exclaimed Hermione, happy and relieved that they had finally cracked the code. She had been worried that they wouldn't solve the puzzle and the two would end up unprepared for the second task, leading to their doom.

Fleur nodded, settled against her dragon who blew a gust of warm air in the area to warm her up. She swatted the beast, "You could 'ave just told me!" _Now, where is the fun in that?_ resonated in her mind as an answer.

ᴥ

Afterwards, Fleur dropped off Vahriin at Hagrid's and went to take a bath and change, urging Harry to do the same and meet her in the Room of Requirement in one hour. So here they were, sitting in plush armchairs by the fireplace, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate courtesy of Dobby.

_Come seek us where our voices sound,_

_We cannot sing above the ground,_

_And while you're searching ponder this;_

_We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

_An hour long you'll have to look,_

_And to recover what we took,_

_But past an hour, the prospect's black,_

_Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._

Hermione read it aloud as she finished scratching the words on her parchment.

"Zhat iz correct," said Fleur, "zhey are talking about merpeople."

Hermione looked up at the blonde, "So the second task is in the lake," she stated as a fact.

"It's freezing in zhere," whined Fleur, not at all happy to have to go for a swim in the lake again.

"Maybe we can figure out some warmer charms that work underwater and last a least one hour," said Harry.

"What do you think they will take from you that you have to recover?" asked Hermione, worried about what that meant.

Harry shrugged, "I don't have many prized possessions, except maybe my dad's Invisibility Cloak?"

Hermione turned to look at Fleur, finally the blonde frowning.

"I do not 'ave big prized possessions myself except my wand which contains ze 'air of my Grandmuzzer…"

"They can't take your wand!" exclaimed Hermione, aghast at the thought, "you won't be able to participate in the task without it!"

Fleur nodded. It's true, they couldn't take her wand. Plus it would be an unfair advantage to the other Champions if she was the only one left without one. "Zhen I don't know what zhey will take," she replied, shrugging.

"We'll figure that out later. For now, let's go to the library to find out underwater warmer spells and more importantly, underwater breathing spells," Hermione said, gathering her things. From the looks on Harry's face, he hadn't thought of that yet.

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Hermione brushed her hair before settling under her blanket. They spent hours in the library until dinnertime, pouring over multiple books. Finding underwater warming spells were relatively easy but nothing was found on underwater breathing spells. They then decided to try again another day and went downstairs for dinner. Dinner had been a relaxed affair, everyone feeling more at ease now that they had an idea on what the second task was.

From memory, the only massive thing in the lake was the Giant Squid but it was known to be friendly but there was a lot more lurking under the murky waters of the Black Lake, a lot of them unfriendly and that had Hermione worried.


	17. Potion Class

Hermione woke up this Monday morning feeling absolutely refreshed. Her weeks had been awesome. They had been fun and successful. They had cracked the egg, so to speak. Her mood soured a little when she remembered that Monday meant Potions in the morning which meant dealing with Snape. While the man was a lot less grating since that day Fleur put him in his place, he still sneered at them and annoyed them throughout class.

Well, there was no escaping this. Whether class was by Snape or Voldemort himself, Hermione was not going to be late! She quickly jumped off her bed and made a beeline for her bathroom.

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Breakfast was a usual affair, at least to Hermione but Fleur was more subdued. The brunette smiled and chatted with the blonde in hopes to get her out of her Monday funk and it worked, at least for a little bit.

It was only when they walked into the dungeon and Hermione saw the cauldron in front, containing a liquid with a mother of pearl sheen that Hermione remembered what today was about. She nearly facepalmed herself for being a fool. She had been so concerned about the egg and so relieved after they solved it that she had completely forgotten what today's lesson was going to be about. _Amortentia._ No wonder, Fleur was in a funk! How could she have forgotten that?!

Snape marched into the room, his cape billowing behind him, "Silence! I will not have any of you muttering in my class," he said as he got to his blackboard. Taking his chalk, he wrote Amortentia on the board, "Now, after having a look at your preparatory essay on this subject, I'm not surprised to say I am utterly unimpressed. I hope you all have it in yourselves to try and do better. Who here can tell me what Amortentia smells like?"

Hermione had quickly shot up.

Snape sneered at her, rolling his eyes before looking at her student seated beside her, "Miss Delacour?"

"It 'as a unique aroma to each person," said Fleur looking up from her book to look at the Potion Professor, "and it smells of ze things zhat zhey find ze most attractive," she replied, giving an inconspicuous glance at the brunette beside her, "even if ze person iz unaware of or disacknowledges zheir affinity for ze object of zheir affection."

Snape glared at her before turning back to his board, "One by one, you will come forward to experience the smell of the Amortentia, starting from the front right. Get up!"

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It didn't take long for it to be Fleur's turn. Catching Hermione's glance and small smile at her, she returned a tight smile and walked to the cauldron. The smell hit her as soon as she got close enough and it made her heart race. She took a deeper breath and smiled, closing her eyes to identify each individual aroma in the bouquet. _Mangoes, her favourite fruit!_ But it was the other aromas that made her heart sing... _Ink and parchment_ , _like the smells of books in the library…. Sweetness of honey and the fragrance of fresh lavender, like in the Lavender fields she had visited in France. It's basically a bouquet of Hermione._ She wondered if she could bottle the scent. Knowing that her turn was ending and dreading the brunette's turn next, she took one last whiff and walked back to her desk.

Hermione had seen the smile on the blonde's face as she smelled the Amortentia and was pretty sure Fleur was smelling _her_ … though she wasn't sure what that meant, what she smelled like. She was nervous. What would happen if she didn't smell Fleur or didn't smell anything at all. What would she do if she smelled Ron?! She grimaced at the thought.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realise Fleur was done until the blonde slid back beside her, onto the bench. Getting up for her turn, she held her breath and nervously approached the cauldron, giving a quick look back to the blonde whose face was all tight and her eyes all dulled as if waiting for inevitable heartache. The mother of pearl sheen was beautiful up close and she exhaled.

Deciding to be brave and get it over and done with, Hermione took a deep sniff and smelled... _new_ _parchment and ink, her favourite things, writing on fresh paper with new ink always made her happy and... jasmine with a hint of morning dew..._ she blushed and her heart fluttered as she recognised Fleur's perfume... _and mangoes…_ A smile grew on her face as the blender accident with the blonde replayed itself in her mind. There were no more doubts about it, she was attracted to Fleur. She felt surprisingly relieved and... _giddy_. Walking back to her desk, she saw Fleur looking at her worriedly with fear in her eyes. She looked at the blonde adoringly, hoping that her eyes conveyed everything. It must have since the blue eyes widened and the blonde started fidgeting in her seat. Hermione slipped back into her seat next to her but did nothing more. They needed to talk but it wasn't the place nor time to do so.

ᴥ

Fleur has never wanted a class to end as badly as this one and that is to say something, if someone has ever sat in Professor Binns History Class. The man must have died listening to himself drone about history, it was the only explanation Fleur could think for him to be a ghost and still be a History teacher. She couldn't stop fidgeting. Hermione, on the other hand, looked as cool as a cucumber, scribbling Snape's notes in her notebook like nothing was amiss. Something was amiss though... despite the 'look' she had gotten from the brunette earlier, the girl hadn't spoken to her at all. Sure, they were in Snape's class but this was an emergency here! How was she to endure not one but two periods of Potions?!

Hermione hid a slight smile as she heard the blonde shift in her seat for the umpteenth time in the last fifteen minutes. Right now, it made her heart flutter as she found the blonde's impatience and discomfort totally adorable. Unfortunately, Fleur will have to wait, she wanted them to have this conversation privately.

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 _FINALLY!_ Fleur's mind screamed as the class ended. She shoved all her things in her bag, she had barely taken notes for the whole two hours, doodling instead as her mind was elsewhere. She looked up to find Hermione looking at her in amusement.

"Come on," Hermione said, walking out of the dreary dungeon.

Fleur didn't wait, quickly following the brunette. Their walk through the crowd hallways was quiet until Hermione got them to a secluded spot. She was surprised to see the Room of Requirement materialise in front of them and followed the brunette inside.

"'Ermione?" She asked tentatively, as she watched the brunette forgo her usual plush armchair and instead, sit on the larger sofa.

Hermione looked up and smiled at the blonde, patting the seat beside her, "Come sit down, Fleur."

Fleur dropped her bag on the coffee table and hesitantly slid beside Hermione.

"Ask me what you want to ask me," said Hermione looking directly into the blonde's azure eyes.

Fleur hesitated. She had so much going on in her head but there was one question to be asked. "What did you smell from ze Amortentia?" she asked in a whisper, hopeful.

"Hmm... new parchment and ink..."

Fleur nodded at that, brows furrowing. It was basically Hermione's smell with the amount of time she spent writing away. "I did too…" she confessed.

Hermione flushed at the implication of it, before composing herself and continuing, "Mangoes…"

Her brows relaxed a bit. Her favourite fruit was mangoes... but that didn't mean anything... A lot of people liked mangoes. Hermione had definitely enjoyed the mango smoothie they made before...

"And... jasmine with a hint of morning dew…" said Hermione, eyeing the blonde carefully.

Fleur's breath hitched, stuck in her lungs as she recognised the description of her perfume. Heart thudding in her chest, she looked at Hermione in shock and awe.

Hermione smiled at Fleur, placing her hand on the shocked blonde's, "seems the feelings are mutual," she whispered blushing, suddenly shy.

Fleur turned her hand gently so she could hold Hermione's hand, shyly interlacing two fingers and pleasantly surprised when Hermione interlaced the rest. She held in firmly but gently, worried that if she let go, it would all be a dream. Seems that Hermione read her face as she received a squeeze of reassurance. "You don't know 'ow 'appy zis makes me…" she whispered, looking deep into Hermione's chocolate eyes, hoping to convey how much.

"It makes me happy too…" replied Hermione, looking back at the blonde with as much intensity.

Fleur lifted her hand and gently brushed a lock of Hermione's hair off the brunette's freckled face, tucking it in behind her ear. Gently cupping the soft cheek, she leaned forward slowly, hearing the Gryffindor's catch of breath. Keeping her eyes fixed on her mate, she waited for the brunette to stop her. When nothing came, she leaned further forward and deposited a gentle kiss on the brunette's cheek.

Hermione flushed at the feeling of Fleur's lips on her cheek. Fleur had given her countless 'kisses' since they started their friendship but this one was different… felt different... yet so innocent compared to the one at the corner of her lips that they had shared in Fleur's room. She wondered what it would feel like actually kissing Fleur. Her face flushed redder at the thought. She watched as Fleur pulled away shyly, a slight blush adorning her pale cheeks and her cerulean eyes shining like diamonds.

The bell ringing to announce the end of the break broke them from their staring contest and Hermione shyly got off the sofa and handed Fleur her bag.

"Merci [Thank you]," the blonde said, taking the aforementioned object. She was surprised to find Hermione keeping her hand proffered.

"Walk you to class?" Hermione asked cheekily since they had classes together.

Fleur grinned and slipped her hand in the brunette's, interlacing their fingers, "Avec plaisir [With pleasure]."

They walked out of the Room of Requirement, hand in hand.

ᴥ

Fleur barely remembered much of her following classes. Her head had been in the clouds since Hermione had told her she smelled jasmine from the Amortentia. Her Hermione liked her! She could barely contain the giddy feelings bubbling in her chest. She felt like she would pop like a bottle of champagne! She had looked at her feet quite a few times just to check if she was floating.

Hermione, on the other hand, was just as giddy except she was spending more of her time watching the dazed Veela with amusement and fondness. To think that she had doubted feeling anything for the blonde. She could hit herself for being so oblivious and out of tune with her feelings! The blonde was adorable and just the thought of it now made her heart flutter. God, how blind she had been for it to literally take a love potion for her to see what was right in front of her!

They had finally finished the classes for the day and had some time before dinner.

"Care for a walk?" asked Fleur, holding Hermione's hand as they walked down the stairs.

"Yeah sure," replied Hermione, following the blonde outside.

They walked hand in hand, just enjoying the orange and blue mixing in the dusk sky. They didn't go too far from the castle, just enjoying the privacy they were getting with most people inside.

"Would you do me ze 'onour of going on a date wiz me, 'Ermione?" Fleur asked as she took her eyes off the beautiful sky to look at her mate.

Hermione was surprised at the request, not having expected it but nodded happily, she'd love nothing more.

"I don't think I can wait till ze weekend," the French witch said truthfully, "so would you skip dinner in ze Hall tomorrow and 'ave dinner wiz me by ze lake?"

"I'd love to, Fleur," replied Hermione sincerely.

Fleur smiled widely at the love of her life, she was getting everything she ever wanted.

ᴥ

To say the next evening arrived quickly would be an understatement, thought Hermione as she stared into her wardrobe wrapped in only a towel. She had bid Fleur a quick goodbye after her last class and rushed back to her room to get ready. She took a quick shower and was now at a loss on what to wear for her date with Fleur. Just thinking about it made her feel like it was all a dream. She had a **date**...with **Fleur Delacour!**

Fishing through the clothes she owned, she picked a pair of grey slacks and paired it with a burgundy chemise. Picking her heavy coat, she wrapped herself in it and shuffled out of her room. Everyone should be at dinner by now so slipping out unnoticed shouldn't be that hard.

Indeed it wasn't that bad except her near encounter with Mrs Norris, Filch's cat but she managed to evade it. It wasn't a problem really, it wasn't curfew yet but Hermione didn't want to spend time explaining where she was going to the annoying man. She would like to be on time for her date, thank you very much!

The air had cooled down quite considerably and she pulled her coat tighter around her as she navigated the ground under the sparsely scattered lampposts. The moonlight was helping though, it was a beautiful clear night.

She reached their spot without issue and found Fleur patiently waiting for her, wrapped in a blue coat bearing the symbol of what she could recognise as the Delacour Crest. It fitted the blonde quite nicely, with shiny silvery buttons that gave a dashing look to the Veela. Hermione bit her lip, it was like having a Prince of her own, like in fairy tales.

"Ma belle," greeted Fleur, taking the brunette's hand, pulling her closer.

"Good evening, Fleur," whispered Hermione, gazing deep into the twinkling blues of the Beauxbatons student.

Fleur smiled, bestowing a kiss to the hand she was holding, "please follow me," she said, leading Hermione deeper into the clearing, just behind a few trees.

Hermione gasped at the sight. What used to be just a clearing now housed a tent, wide open, with warm fairy lights wrapped around it and the trees next to it. Flowers of all kinds blanketed the path to it and inside, she could spy a table, with blue tablecloth with dishes, cutlery and napkins on top. The inside seemed to be filled with fireflies. She took in every detail as Fleur led her inside.

Fleur took Hermione's coat and pulled out the brunette's chair, waiting until she was seated to push the chair in place and take a seat herself. She gave herself a pat on the back as Hermione took in all the decors.

On closer inspection, Hermione realised that the lights inside weren't fireflies but just small lights floating around. _Magic,_ she mused. The wide-open front allowed them a beautiful view of the lake. The tent was surprisingly warm. She turned to the blonde and her breath hitched as she found the French girl looking at her with such emotion in her eyes. She noticed the blonde had removed her own coat, leaving her in a crisp tailored black shirt that shimmered every time the light hit it at a certain angle. She was certainly dashing.

"You are beautiful, 'Ermione," complimented Fleur, smiling as the Gryffindor blushed.

"Thank you, you are beautiful too," replied Hermione with a shy smile. She hadn't thought Fleur would go to these lengths for their date. The place looks amazing, "this is all amazing, Fleur."

Fleur smiled, happy that the brunette liked it, "It's ze least I could do for our first date, ma belle. Are you ready to eat?"

Hermione nodded, it was dinner time after all though there was no food on the table. Hermione watched as the blonde clicked her fingers and their plates filled up with what looked like Cottage Pie. Two glasses of juice appeared as well.

"I asked Monsieur Dobby for help to prepare one of your favourite dishes," said Fleur, "but if you would like something else, please let me know."

"Oh no no, this is amazing," assure Hermione, placing her hand on Fleur's which was on the table and giving it a grateful squeeze, "you cooked this with him? For me?" She asked as she pulled her hand away to pick up her cutlery.

Fleur nodded, picking her knife and fork, "Oui, I wanted to cook you dinner but since zhis iz an English dish, I asked for 'is 'elp. I didn't want to mess it up."

Hermione took the first bite of her food and moaned. It was really good! "This is amazing, Fleur!"

Fleur breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm glad you like it," she replied, finally relaxing and digging into her own food.

The pair relaxed and chatted as they enjoyed their dinner and sipped on their drinks. Hermione was having a really good time. The blonde had even thought of dessert, which was also her favourite; warm sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice-cream.

Hermione had never been on a first date, her short near-relationship with Ron not even getting to that point and to be honest, she didn't regret it. The redhead would have never done all _this_. Everything was beautiful and the little floating lights and the moonlight from outside were just setting an amazing mood. She observed the blonde under it all, her skin and hair taking a golden hue from the lights but what captivated her the most were the blonde's eyes, darker blue with the lights reflecting into it like golden stars. It made Hermione feel like she had flown higher in the midnight blue sky, closer to the stars, to the point where they were bigger, brighter... almost like she could touch them. Fleur's eyes always captivated her like nothing else. She was taken out of her reverie when Fleur extended her hand. She looked at the proffered hand in confusion. Had she missed something while daydreaming?

Fleur smiled at the confused witch and just repeated her question, "would you go stargazing wiz me, 'Ermione?"

Hermione blushed at her inattention and took Fleur's hand, allowing her to lead her outside. She felt the chill of the air as she left the warm tent without her coat but trusted Fleur as she was led to the side of the tent where a blanket was laid out with pillows and a duvet. They approached and took off their shoes and slipped in, Hermione's eyes closing in delight and she hummed as warmth settled over her again. The blanket turned out to be more like a thin mattress that felt heavenly. It was like she was in bed. Opening her eyes again, she could notice that the fairy light outside had dimmed and the stars were clearly visible in the clear night sky.

Fleur and Hermione both launched into pointing out and tracing every constellation they could find and telling the stories behind them as the stars moved slowly in the night sky. They laughed at some of the names and pointed out discrepancies between lore and mythology of different regions.

"Zhere are some interesting ones I would like to see from ze Southern 'emisphere, like ze Vela," she said cheekily, laughing, "and ze Southern Cross."

"What is your favourite constellation?" Hermione asked, shifting to her side to look at the blonde.

"Ze Orion. Ze zhree stars in 'is belt 'as always been my favourite," said Fleur, lifting her hand and tracing the belt with her finger. It was an easy constellation to find but despite that, it was her favourite. "What about you?"

"Surprisingly, I also like the Orion belt," smiled Hermione, "the three stars are easy to spot and I would always pick them out of the sky when I was a child, stargazing with my dad." She turned her gaze back to the sky, "it's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Oui..."

The softness of the answer made Hermione turn back to the blonde and she found Fleur looking at her. Hermione blushed as she realised the Veela was talking about her. She boldly shuffled closer to the blonde and buried her head in her older woman's shoulder, smiling as Fleur immediately wrapped her arm around her waist, "you are beautiful too, Fleur" she whispered, enjoying the heavier aroma of jasmine to her nose.

"Ma belle," Fleur sighed at the warmth of the brunette's body against hers. She could feel Hermione's warm breath against her neck and tightened her arm around the bushy-haired girl, bringing her closer into her body, leaving no space between their chests.

Hermione pulled away from the blonde's shoulder to look up at her, her hands splayed on the woman's torso. If she had been captivated before, it held no candle to how mesmerised she was right now. Fleur's blue orbs were shining with intensity. Hermione wondered why she was so taken by them, she was sure she had seen them up close before... but tonight, they looked free, exuding happiness, freedom and... love. It was beautiful…. It was amazing and scary to know that she was the cause of it, that she held so much power over the blonde's emotions, that she meant so much to the blonde...

Fleur, on the other hand, was wondering if the stars were even that beautiful when she was a lot more interested in the stars on Hermione's skin. She wanted to count every freckle on the brunette's face and understand each constellation and the story behind her mate. She wanted to find them all, every little one on the witch's body and trace them with her fingers, memorising them.

Their faces were so close that all it would take was one small movement for Fleur to get a taste. She shifted closer just a bit, her breathing shallow as she searched deeply into the amber eyes for any hesitance or doubt but the brunette's eyelids just fluttered shut and her chin lifted up in offering. Fleur bit her lip as her heart sung in joy before lowering her head and capturing Hermione's lips.

Hermione's breath caught as she felt the gentle pressure on her lips. The blonde's lips were so soft and pliant, moving just slightly over hers and the feeling was mind-melting. She pushed herself harder against the French's mouth, wanting more. One hand got a mind of its own, drifting upwards and tangling into Fleur's hair as she splayed her fingers over the blonde's scalp to pull her head down into hers.

Fleur felt Hermione's pull and kissed her harder. She ran her tongue over the brunette's bottom lip, tentatively introducing it into Hermione's mouth when the brunette gasped.

Hermione gasped and moaned quietly as she felt Fleur's tongue in her mouth and boldly sucked it into her mouth. The answering groan from the blonde made her flush but she continued her efforts. They stayed like this, for Merlin knows how long, exploring each other's mouths until Hermione pulled away for air. She blushed and looked at the blonde shyly, loving the red tint on the Veela's cheeks.

"'Ermione…" Fleur whispered breathlessly. She raised one hand and cupped the brunette's cheek, pulling her in again and peppering little kisses which Hermione reciprocated eagerly, making the blonde smile against the younger witch's mouth. Hermione was exquisite and her lips were just as exquisite.

Hermione hummed against every kiss, enjoying it fully. She never knew kissing could feel so good! She further berated herself for being so scared and doubtful of her feelings. She could have been doing this months ago! She had to make up for the lost time.

Fleur then pulled away abruptly and looked at her as if meaning to ask something. "What is it?" Hermione asked worriedly, her brows furrowing. Had she done something wrong? Had she kissed the blonde wrong? Sorry! It was her first, she is willing to learn how to be bett-

"I…" Fleur fidgetted as she debated whether to ask what she wanted to ask or not.

"You can tell me anything…" whispered Hermione, as she read the nervousness in the blue eyes, hoping to reassure the blonde and make it easy for her to open up.

Fleur sighed, "I know it iz our first date. I do not want to make it seem like I am pressuring you," she hastened to add, "You can say you are not ready…" she rambled on, looking anywhere but at the brunette.

"Fleur," Hermione lifted her hand to cup the blonde's cheek, bringing her eyes back to her, hoping that her eyes conveyed what she had just said. It seemed like it did because the older woman stopped fidgeting.

"I was wondering if you would like to be my girlfriend…" replied Fleur, her voice soft and infinitesimally hopeful.

Hermione's heart skipped a beat at the question. Now that she was more aware of her feelings, she could recognise the feeling in her chest as elation. They had already waited long enough because of her obliviousness. There was no need to wait anymore. She wanted this, needed this, in fact. She pulled Fleur back into a kiss, whispering a 'yes' against the blonde's warm pliant lips.

Fleur smiled widely against the brunette's soft lips as warmth bloomed throughout her whole body. Her mate was her girlfriend!

They kissed for another half an hour, each of them getting acquainted with each other's mouths. It was indeed the best date Hermione could have ever imagined.

It was a little bell ringing gently that broke their embrace. Fleur explained that she had put an alarm so Hermione could get back to the castle before the curfew. Reluctantly bidding the blonde goodbye, Hermione marched back to the castle, feeling guilty for leaving the clean up to Fleur after all her efforts but the blonde had reminded her that they were witches and shooed her away with a few pecks to keep her warm on her trek back. She sighed as she thought about it...her lips were still tingling…

She had a girlfriend... Fleur Delacour was her girlfriend… _Merlin!_


	18. Viscaria

Hermione woke up with a little spring in her steps. She had slept wondrously after finally getting her mind to turn off, which had taken a while since it was re-looping the time spent with Fleur and their kisses relentlessly. Now that she was awake again, her mind was back at it. She didn't mind at this point though and was super excited to see the Veela at breakfast. She had a girlfriend...a GIRLFRIEND! Fleur Delacour was her girlfriend! She squealed as she bounced around on her bed. It was amazing, Fleur was amazing!

She quickly cleaned up, got dressed and went down the stairs. As she walked into the Great Hall, she looked for the blonde immediately who seemed to have noticed her entrance from the smile she was sending her. Hermione smiled back, redness creeping into her cheeks as she shyly walked to the Gryffindors table and took a seat facing the Ravenclaw table… just because… yeah ok, she wanted a good view of her girlfriend. Her heart did a somersault at the word 'girlfriend'.

Harry was already seated and Hermione was surprised to see Ron there. As she greeted them, Harry replied with a smile. Ron, on the other hand, just grunted.

"Where were you last night for dinner?" asked Harry.

"I was helping Fleur with something in the library," she couldn't help but notice Ron stiffen and frown at the words, "Don't worry, I grabbed some food from the kitchen," she replied. She retrospectively realised that she should have asked Harry for his Invisibility Cloak for the date. Maybe that would have helped her stay back longer. Her eyes drifted to the blonde, who was talking to Luna. _Maybe next time_ … She would definitely like to spend a whole night stargazing _among other things_ with her girlfriend.

As if sensing her eyes on her, Fleur's head turned, blue eyes meeting hers momentarily and Hermione tried to dampen the massive smile threatening to bloom on her face.

The Veela's attention was so focused on the Gryffindor that she didn't notice the boy approaching her until she was tapped on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, I am Roger Davies," he introduced himself with an air of self-importance.

Fleur quirked an eyebrow at the Ravenclaw.

Not getting an answer from the Beauxbatons Champion, he continued, "I am Ravenclaw's Quidditch Captain. We haven't had a match together yet but would you be my date to the ball? We can get acquainted," he asked confidently.

Hermione glared at the Ravenclaw boy as she heard his words. In fact, he was making sure that people were hearing him. Hermione's hand clenched at the thought of him making a spectacle out of Fleur like she was a trophy he was going to win. She was not liking the innuendo in his words and that blasted smirk on his face. Ever since the ball had been announced, countless boys had accosted the blonde to ask her to the ball and Hermione always felt her chest burn when it happened. She couldn't believe she had been so oblivious to her own feelings,

"Non." Fleur's nonchalant refusal rang through the hall.

"Wha-" Davies spluttered, "Why not?!" He asked, affronted.

Hermione watched as Fleur just shrugged, "I will be going wiz someone else." The words suddenly made her breakfast roil in her stomach. Had the blonde picked a partner already? She must have since it seemed the whole school was asking her to the dance. She must have already accepted someone. _Who?_ She wondered, her chest constricting painfully at the thought of the blonde in someone else's arms.

"Who?!" Her question was echoed by Davies.

"Zhat iz none of your business. Please leave us," replied Fleur, going back to her breakfast.

Davies angrily stomped away under the snickering of the students in the hall.

Hermione placed her fork back down, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore.

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When breakfast was over, Hermione had tried to put the Davies incident in the hall at the back of her mind, the whole ball thing actually. It was fine that Fleur was going with someone else, totally fine. It wasn't the blonde's fault that she had taken forever to finally come to terms with the feelings she had for the Veela. She was the Beauxbatons Champion and supposed to open the dance. Of course, she would have secured someone competent in dancing, at the earliest! She walked with Harry and Ron to the Greenhouses for Herbology class, knowing full well that the Veela was following behind. She smiled slightly as she realised just how much classes have changed with Fleur's arrival. Usually, she was the third wheel, fitting on another desk next to Harry and Ron but now the blonde sat with her in every class they shared even with Fleur having Alexia around. The first time, the Delacour cousin had just winked at her and moved to sit with another Beauxbatons student and now, Hermione was eternally grateful. This was even easier in Herbology since they all just gathered around a large table.

Today was a practical class so they put on brown protective robes over their uniform, which basically acted as a lab coat. Hermione shuffled inside and took her usual spot beside Harry at the massive table with Fleur sliding beside her, greeting everyone just seconds later. While Harry greeted the Veela back, Ron once again, just grunted. She decided to not pay attention to the moody redhead and turned to Fleur, "Hey you.."

Fleur grinned at the Gryffindor and replied, "'Ello 'Ermione."

Hermione blushed, wanting so badly to kiss her happy girlfriend. It was at that point that Professor Sprout walked in.

"Good morning everyone. Today I thought it would be a great idea to introduce you all to a very special flower. Since we have international students within our midst, it'll do us some good to learn a few things from them. Today, I'm introducing the 'Fleur des Ames', a plant only found in France that reacts quite peculiarly to Veelas," flicking her wand, revealing multiple potted flowers, with seven silvery petals and vine-like branches.

Fleur laughed at the sight.

Hermione was startled when the pots jumped, moving around the table to get closer to the few Veelas they had in class, each getting one.

"Salut toi," said Fleur as she tickled the flower under the petals gently, giggling when the plant wiggled before wrapping its vine arms around her arm.

"As you can see," continued Professor Sprout, "Fleur des Ames are sentient flowers, though they tend to be passive. But in the presence of Veelas, come to life. They are very attracted to Veela."

Hermione looked across the table to find that one had wrapped its vines around Alexia's waist like a child while the woman patted its petals.

"They are quite difficult to grow or find in the wild. These specimens have been lent to us by the Ministry of France so please be careful with them."

"Are they used for anything, Professor?" Neville Longbottom asked as he eyed the plants with curiosity.

"Indeed, the petals of a Fleur Des Ames have many medicinal properties though due to the rarity of the plant are only used when strictly necessary. While the petals can grow back, taking one by force will only give you a useless non-magical petal. To get the real deal, proper respect has to be given to the plants. Basically, you need to ask politely." Professor Sprout said, demonstrating by nearing the plant wrapped around Alexia and asking for a petal. The whole class watched as the flower turned to her and 'nodded', a petal loosening from its head and floating into Sprout's hand. Almost immediately, a smaller petal started to sprout where one had been removed.

"The new petal takes about 7 hours to grow fully. Please note that the petals have additional effects on Veelas which are not fully known but none of them harmful. Your assignment for the week is to socialise with the flower and get a petal. They only give a petal if they know you well enough. I also want three foot of parchment on their characteristics and behaviour with and without the presence of a Veela with a full detailed drawing. Please gather in groups and get started" and with that, Pomona went to sit at her desk, watching as Hogwarts students gathered around each Veela.

"It's amazing how it's taken to you," said Neville as he approached Fleur.

Fleur smiled at the boy. They have bumped quite a few times in the Greenhouses and become friends. After all, Fleur did have a particular interest in flowers. "It's a she, Neville. Fleur des Ames are always a she, reflecting on ze fact zhat all Veela are female."

"How does it reproduce then?" Harry asked, confused.

"Magic, my friend," Fleur replied teasingly, earning a laugh from Neville.

"You know Neville?" Hermione asked, surprised by the familiarity between the two. She hadn't seen them interact before.

Neville shrugged shyly, "We met in the Greenhouses once and got into a discussion about English and French plants. Fleur is quite knowledgeable. We have bumped into each other, in there, multiple times since."

Hermione turned to the Veela, "I didn't know you had an interest in Herbology."

"Zhere iz a lot you don't know about me, chérie," Fleur replied cheekily, "Plus, of course, I am interested in 'Erbologie, I'm a flower," she finished with a wink. She picked up the pot to her chest and the flower just wrapped its vines around Fleur's torso, settling its 'head' on the Veela's shoulder, like a baby going on a nap.

Hermione outright laughed. It was amazing how much more open the blonde was to her now that they were girlfriends, she was being even more teasing than usual. Hermione loved it.

"How do you zhink she got 'er name?" Alexia chimed in with a grin from across the table, "she 'as a knack wiz flowers as you British would say."

"I'd like to hear this story," replied Hermione grinning at her girlfriend.

"Maybe some ozher time," whispered Fleur, winking before turning back to Neville to answer a few more of his questions.

Hermione shook her head. This woman was an enigma yet she wanted to figure out everything about her. _In time…_ She picked up her quill and parchment to write down everything Fleur was explaining about her flower.

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After class, Hermione found herself walking with Fleur through the courtyard for their break. Neville had stayed behind in the Greenhouse while Harry had dragged Ron somewhere else. She wasn't concerned though, caring much more about her alone time with her blonde girlfriend. Just as they rounded a corner, Hermione found herself pulled behind a secret passage through a wall, right into the Veela's arms, in a dead-end part of the courtyard, away from people's eyes.

"'Ogwarts does 'ave a lot of secrets," grinned Fleur as she looked at the brunette wrapped tightly in her arms.

Hermione blushed at the blonde's boldness, "it seems you do too," she replied coyly, playing with the older girl's collar.

"Oui…" Fleur chirped, "I 'ave to be mysterious, non? Or you might find me boring."

Hermione looked at the Veela seriously, "You could never be boring," and with that, in a bold move of her own, pulled Fleur down by the collar and captured her lips.

Fleur moaned. Her petite lionne was so cutely courageous sometimes. It made her heart race.

They snogged in the secret courtyard corner until the bell rang for their next class. Pulling away, Hermione was about to drag them back out of their hiding place but Fleur pulled her back. She turned back around to look at the blonde in confusion, only to find her holding out a small violet flower to her with a smile.

"Wha-"

"Anozher flower for you since I am already yours," teased Fleur, watching the red bloom on Hermione's cheeks at her words, before going back to serious, "Zis iz a Viscaria."

Hermione was surprised at the change of tone in Fleur's voice, hearing the seriousness and hesitation within.

"In ze language of flowers," the Veela continued, "it asks, 'Will you dance wiz me?' 'Ermione, would you like to go to ze ball wiz me?" she asked hesitantly.

Hermione looked at the blonde in shock. They hadn't talked about the ball since last time. Fleur wanted to go with her? Was she the one the Veela had referred to at breakfast?! Remembering the fiery burn she had felt at imagining her girlfriend going with someone else and the stomach roil from the Davies debacle, she berated herself inwardly as she realised just how hot and fast her jealousy was. Oh, how blind she had been to not realise her feelings for the blonde sooner!

"'Ermione?" Fleur called out hesitantly, feeling more and more nervous as time went by without an answer.

"Didn't you say to Davies you are going with someone else? I thought you already had a partner," Hermione grumbled, eyeing the floor.

Fleur looked at her incredulously, "As if it would be anyone but you," she lifted the brunette's chin so she could look into her eyes, "Mon amour, you are ze only one I want in my arms."

Hermione flushed and buried her face into the blonde's chest, "Sorry…" she mumbled, "I got jealous... " she gripped the blonde's shirt tightly.

Fleur grinned, the vibrations of Hermione speaking into her chest being a bit ticklish but it was her words that made her heart sing. Her mate was jealous. She ducked her head until her lips reached Hermione's red ear and pressed a featherlight kiss to it, watching a shiver course through the brunette. "I'm all yours..." she whispered.

Hermione couldn't stop the large grin blooming on her face and reluctantly pulled away from the blonde's comfy chest. "Yes then" she replied as she gently took the flower from the blonde's fingers. "Yes, I would love to go to the ball with you."

Fleur laughed in joy, grabbing her girlfriend into a tight twirling hug, causing the brunette to squeal before pulling the Gryffindor into another kiss.

Hermione giggled, kissing back just as eagerly. For the first time in her life, she didn't care about getting to class late.

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Hermione was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. She had put a spell on her Viscaria so she could press it in her book without damaging it. It made the flower flatten when the book was closed but pop right back to shape when it was opened. So instead of actually paying attention to the text in her book, all she was doing was caressing the flower between her pages gently with her fingers. _What? It is currently the last class of the day and she was missing the blonde! She didn't have this class with Fleur. Where she had picked Ancient Runes, Fleur had picked Care of Magical Creatures._ She wondered what the Veela was currently up to in Hagrid's class.

At Hagrid's Hut…

Fleur dived out of the way of a fireball that came out of one of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewt. She had already been scratched and stung, trying to help Hagrid round them up as class ended. Her arm was already bleeding so she had no interest in adding burns to her list of wounds.

"Sorry!" said Hagrid as he lifted the beast into a box and closed it.

Fleur took a breath of relief. Thank Merlin! It was the last of them.

"Yeh ought to geh tha' looked at," he said, pointing at her bleeding arm apologetically. "Pomfrey made a new concoction that works wonders."

Fleur nodded, bidding him a quick goodbye as she made her way back to the castle to get treated. What she hadn't expected was to run into the Head Girl herself on the way there.

"What happened to you?!" Hermione asked in alarm as she rushed to the blonde. She had escorted a first-year Hufflepuff, who had tripped on the moving staircases and scraped her knee, to the Infirmary and Madame Pomfrey had tended to it in a jiffy. She had been making her way to the Great Hall for dinner, not expecting to bump into Fleur in such a state.

Fleur smiled, "Monsieur 'Agrid 'as some interesting creatures in Care of Magical Creatures. Zhey definitely took care of me!" she chuckled at her joke.

Hermione frowned and dragged her girlfriend with her, "Let's get you looked at, you seem to always be injured."

Fleur pouted, "Are you saying I am accident-prone, 'Ermione?"

Hermione side-eyed the blonde and restrained herself from kissing that pout away. She continued to drag her to the Infirmary and called out for the Head Nurse.

It seems that Hagrid had been right. The nurse quickly applied a special salve to her arm and wrapped it in a bandage. "It'll be healed by tomorrow afternoon. Why Hagrid would even think of cross-breeding Manticores and Fire crabs is beyond me!" the woman said in annoyance.

Fleur chuckled, thanking the nurse before walking out of the place with Hermione. She allowed the Head Girl to lead her through the hallways of Hogwarts and was quite surprised when Hermione copied her previous move and pulled her, this time, in a secret passageway behind a portrait.

Fleur grinned as she found herself backed against a wall. Her lioness was getting bolder by the hour!

"How is it that you get hurt every time?" whispered Hermione as she eyed her girlfriend suspiciously.

"It must be a talent of mine," grinned Fleur, wrapping her arms around the Gryffindor's waist and pulling her closer.

Hermione leaned forward until her lips were just a breath away from Fleur's, "Well, Miss Delacour," she husked, "I would like you to get rid of this talent of yours. As you mentioned earlier... You are my flower. I would very much like you to stay in one piece."

Fleur leaned the rest of the way, watching as Hermione's eyes fluttered shut, only to flip the Head Girl around. She nipped the brunette's bottom lip. "What would you do about it?" she husked back.

Hermione felt a shiver course through her as her back hit the cold wall and stifled the moan trying to escape her throat when Fleur nipped at her bottom lip. This woman was going to be the death of her! Her hands got a life of their own as they threaded into the blonde's hair. Her breathing turned shallow as she felt the Veela's lips travel to her cheek then down to her chin, nipping along the way until she started lavishing the same attention to her neck, making Hermione's legs tremble. She felt hot all over. Fisting the silvery locks, she pulled her up, capturing the Veela's lips in a deep hungry kiss.

Fleur groaned and reciprocated eagerly, plundering the Gryffindor's mouth with her tongue as she pressed her body hard against her mate. Her body was burning, wanting more of the brunette. It was only her presence of mind that made her pull away after some time. She didn't want things to happen like this.

Hermione panted as Fleur pulled away from her, trying to catch her breath.

"We should calm ourselves," said Fleur mournfully despite it being the last thing she wanted to do.

Hermione nodded, feeling grateful for the blonde applying the brakes. Things had escalated too quickly. She pecked the Veela gently on the nose in thanks, wanting to show her gratitude but trying not to start anything again because she wasn't sure she could stop a second time. "Let's go get dinner," she suggested, taking Fleur's hand.

Fleur smiled, nodding as she followed the brunette out.

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The next day, Hermione was enjoying the crisp air as she walked back to the castle after meeting Fleur at the lake. She had checked on her, finding that her wounds had healed nicely and that the blonde had gotten rid of the bandages. Hermione was happy about that. Seeing the Beauxbatons Champion hurt made her feel sick in the stomach and always filled her with worry.

So far, Hermione had told none of her friends that she was dating Fleur Delacour. It wasn't because she was ashamed of the blonde or anything, she just wanted to keep her girlfriend to herself for a bit. Every minute spent with the French girl was amazing and Hermione still felt like it wasn't enough. She had never wanted to spend time with someone 24/7 before but with Fleur, she never got tired of the French girl. In fact, Fleur made her feel like there weren't enough hours in the day. She laughed at that, remembering the time she had felt the same about her classes and McGonagall had given her a Time-Turner. If she had a Time-Turner now, she would probably use it to spend time with her girlfriend! The blasphemy!

She spotted Krum on her way back to the castle and shivered as his black beady eyes stared at her, face permanently stuck in a scowl. What was wrong with that boy?! She hurried inside, not wanting any sort of confrontation.

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Hermione smiled as she snuggled deeper into the warm and soft body behind her. The last two weeks have been amazing... Being with Fleur has been amazing. She was seeing a different side of the blonde and was learning so much about her girlfriend. They were currently in their free study periods and were sitting at their usual secluded spot near the lake. Fleur's back was against a tree, while she was settled between the Veela's legs, her back to the blonde's chest with a book open in her lap. The French girl's arms were wrapped around her waist and her chin rested on Hermione's shoulder as she peered down the pages.

"So you are saying zhat applying ze theory of Antuur wiz ze law of Halvin, ze metamorphosis can be achieved?"

Hermione hummed, nodding, "yes, because the Transfiguration path is halved."

"Hmm," Fleur thought about it, "I will definitely 'ave to try it." She was just about to say something more when her eyes started burning like someone poked burning coals in them. She yelped in pain and brought her hands to her eyes, pressing the heel of her palms into them to try to stem off the pain.

Hearing Fleur's scream in pain, Hermione scrambled off the blonde and turned to her, "Fleur! What is it? What's happening?!" She dared not touch the Veela for fear of hurting her more. She looked around to check if someone had cursed her but there was no one in sight. She looked on helplessly as Fleur pressed her hands harder into her eyes and whimpered.

Fleur rolled to her side and curled into a ball, breathing deeply, feeling the pain starting to subside. It took a few minutes before she felt she could say something again. "Ugh, merde," she groaned. Her eyes were still tingling.

Hermione gently touched the blonde's hands, wrapping her fingers around her wrists and pulling her hands away from her face. The Veela had her eyes tightly scrunched close and tear tracks could be clearly visible, "Fleur?" she asked, not able to keep the fear and worry out of her voice. She watched as Fleur slowly blinked her eyes open and gasped loudly at the sight. "Fleur!?" she said, alarmed, "you have silver rings around your irises!"

Fleur pushed herself up from the ground and settled herself back against the tree. After the tingling sensation was gone, she blinked slowly and looked at the stricken brunette, pulling her into a reassuring hug, "I'm ok," she replied, "sorry to 'ave worried you."

"What happened? What happened to your eyes?" Hermione hugged Fleur back, her ear pressed against the blonde's chest. She could hear the Veela's heart beating fast and was still very much worried despite her girlfriend's reassurance.

"It's my Veela changes," replied Fleur. She felt Hermione pull away to look at her eyes more closely, "I knew zhey would 'urt but was just not expecting it to 'appen so suddenly."

"Does it still hurt?" asked Hermione, gently cupping the Veela's cheeks, her thumbs wiping away the tear tracks. She hated seeing the blonde in pain.

Fleur shook her head, "Non, ze pain iz gone. It was only for a short time."

"Do you see any differently?" Hermione asked shyly, always curious.

Fleur smiled, "Oui. I am still getting used to it," she said as she blinked a few times, "I should 'ave ze ability to control it, zhough I 'aven't figured that out yet," She blinks some more. "I can see more details, can see further. I should also be able to see in ze dark a bit. Do I look weird?" She asked hesitantly, under Hermione's intense gaze.

Hermione heard the little hint of insecurity in the blonde's voice and leaned forward, pressed two gentle kisses on the Veela's eyelids before capturing her lips into a loving kiss. "They are beautiful…" she murmured against Fleur's lips.

"'Ow lucky I am to 'ave found you, my 'Ermione," whispered Fleur, returning the kiss with added fervour.

Hermione smiled against the blonde's eager lips and just allowed herself to be swept away by everything Fleur.


	19. Yule Ball

Ginny Weasley might be one year younger but it didn't impact her relationship with the Trio. Ok, maybe only with Ron because he was her brother, a prat and still treated her like a child but she had a great relationship with the Duo. Harry and Hermione were her best friends, Hermione more so.

Despite knowing Ron's forever interest in Hermione, she had prayed that the bookworm didn't pick her brother as a partner. Why, you ask? Because they just weren't made for each other and Hermione deserves better. It would be a flying car wreck if it happened. In her worry of that happening, she had totally missed _this_!

"You are dating Fleur Delacour and she asked you to the ball?" She repeated what her best friend had just said to her, flabbergasted.

Hermione blushed and shyly nodded, "I need your help for my hair on the day."

She squealed as she threw herself at her friend and hugged the life out of her, "Oh my god! Oh my god! I'm so happy for you! I know just what you need! We need to go to the Owlery and order some right now!" She grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her towards the door.

Hermione smiled, relieved at the positive reaction from her friend. She had been slightly worried and it felt good to know she had worried for nothing. She allowed herself to be dragged away. _Oh boy, what have I gotten into…_

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Now despite being all excited about the ball and preparing for it, Hermione wasn't one to forget about the more important things in the background… The Second Task and Homework, which is why she was currently in the library, a big pile of books splayed over her table. She was trying to do her Potions essay while still looking for a way to get Harry to breathe underwater. Her concentration was broken when a shadow loomed over her books. Looking up, she was startled to find Victor Krum standing by the table, staring at her.

"Hello Herm-own-ninny," he greeted gruffly.

"Mister Krum," she replied politely, body stiffening, not sure why he was talking to her again. Maybe she was thinking too much about this and the Bulgarian only needed a book she took.

"I vould like you to come to the ball vith me," Krum said.

The Gryffindor Head Girl looked at the man in shock. He dared to ask her after everything. "I'm going to have to decline your invitation. I'm already going with someone," she replied curtly.

Krum stiffened and his face contorted with rage, "are you going vith the beast?!" He roared.

Hermione bristled at the disrespect to her girlfriend, "it is none of your concern but if you need to know, yes," she replied confidently, wanting to rub it in his face even more.

Krum slammed his hand on the table, tipping over her inkwell, "it's disgusting! She is nothing but a beast!" He spat, "All she wants is to fuck you and throw you aside!"

The Gryffindor drew her wand before she even had time to think, "This is my girlfriend you are talking about," she took pleasure at the fury that flashed in his black beady eyes, "Better stop badmouthing her if you don't want to get well acquainted with what my wand can do. I suggest you walk away," Her voice left no doubt that it was a threat.

"You are making a mistake, Herm-own-ninny. Come vith me, forget the Veela!" He growled, advancing towards her.

Hermione wasted no time in casting a weak _Depulso_ , pushing him back slightly, "this was a warning. Next time, you will find yourself on the other side of the library," she said, her eyes hard and cold.

Krum glared at her before turning on his heels and stomping away.

The brunette huffed and sank back into her chair, the Durmstrang Champion was really starting to get on her nerves. She quickly cast a spell to fix the inky mess that the Bulgarian had left on her desk.

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She walked into the Common Room to find it surprisingly empty except for a handful of students, spotting Harry and Ginny going over Quidditch tactics.

"Hermione?" she heard calling behind her and turned to find Ron.

"Yes, Ron?"

"I was wondering if you would like to go to the ball with me?" He asked confidently.

Hermione sighed exasperated, pinching her nose, "We have gone through this, Ron. I told you I am not interested."

"Come on Hermione," Ron argued, "How would you know if you haven't tried it? This is our chance!"

"The same way you know you wouldn't go to the ball with Seamus even if you haven't _tried_ it," she replied, gritting her teeth.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, confused.

"Forget it and I can't go with you, I'm already going with someone else, " she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Bollocks, you are saying that just to send me away!" Ron said forcefully.

"Stop it, Ron," Ginny said, approaching the quarrelling pair with Harry, "she is going with someone else."

Ron looked at his sister's face and realised she was actually not joking. His face went purple as his head whipped to Hermione, "Who?! Who is this bloke you are giving it to?!" he spat.

Hermione's hand shot up before she even registered it slapping Ron right across the face, "You are a disgusting man, Ronald Weasley!" She stormed off through the portrait to her room.

Ron barely had time to allow his cheek to cool down from Hermione's slap before he copped another one, this time from Ginny, "Speak to her like that again and you will never be able to have kids." He stepped back quickly in case Ginny kneed him but the redhead just shook her head and left.

"You are a prat, mate," Harry whispered, looking disappointedly at his friend.

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The day had arrived. Hermione stared at herself in the mirror. Ginny had done an amazing job with her hair. It was tamed into beautiful curls and into an appropriate shape. She knew how much Fleur loved her hair with the number of times that the blonde buried her face into it per day and sighing like it was the best thing ever. Her girlfriend was weird.

She was quite happy with how she looked in her shimmering blue dress with a colour gradient from light blue at the top to dark blue at the hem. The flock had helped her find her dress as she wanted something made of similar cloth to the one she wore to Fleur's birthday party. Fleur and her definitely didn't know what each other was wearing, having only shared the colour so they would match. Blue was the choice since Fleur wanted to represent her school as Champion. The Gryffindor Head Girl didn't mind, blue was definitely the blonde's colour. It brought out the blue of her eyes even more and truth be told, Hermione was quite partial to those cerulean orbs.

She opened the box that Fleur had given her strict instructions not to open until she was finished getting dressed. It was her Christmas present from the blonde. She had promised the French girl that she would give her hers after the ball. Opening it up, she gasped at the heart cut sapphire pendant set on white gold with smaller white diamonds surrounding it. She clasped it around her neck and admired it, running her fingers on her sternum. It kinda reminded her of the pendant in the movie 'Titanic'. She checked the clock on her nightstand and realised she had spent too much time admiring the necklace. She was going to be late! Checking herself one last time, she rushed out, making her way to the Great Hall.

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Fleur waited impatiently at the foot of the stairs, fiddling with her sleeve cufflinks. Harry was already here with Parvati, Krum with a girl she didn't know so the only person missing was Hermione and it was making her nervous.

"Hey, relax. She'll be here," said Ginny as she approached the blonde with Neville, while on her way inside the hall. After all, she had helped the bookworm get ready before she went to get ready herself. She wondered if the Head Girl had gotten her head stuck in a book. Her thoughts were broken when she heard a gasp from the Beauxbatons Champion.

Fleur looked in awe as Hermione descended the stairs towards her. Every time she thinks she has seen the mate at her best, she manages to take her breath away again. She offered her hand as the brunette approached, not taking her eyes away from the vision that was her mate for even a second, "You take my breath away," she whispered sincerely.

Hermione blushed at the compliment and took Fleur's hand, flushing even more as the Veela kissed her hand, eyes not leaving hers throughout. She allowed herself to take in her girlfriend's outfit, dark blue military jacket and slacks, the jacket open in the front to reveal a beautifully embroidered silver shirt, the colour matching the jacket buttons and ornamental braids and embroidery. She noticed the smaller sapphire gem cufflinks peaking by the blonde's wrists that matched her necklace perfectly. The Veela looked absolutely dashing and princely and Hermione was ecstatic to be able to enjoy it this time since she didn't really appreciate it last time, at the Delacour party, given her oblivious self. "You look very handsome," she said, smiling as Fleur flushed slightly.

Fleur offered her arm and led Hermione to where they were all lining up.

"Wow, Hermione! You clean up nicely," said Harry smiling.

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione replied nicely, noticing the stunned look of everyone else.

"Mr Longbottom and Miss Weasley, please make way to the hall. Miss Granger! Finally!" said McGonagal as she approached the couple, "You and Miss Delacour are up in front. We are entering by order of the Tournament standing. First Miss Delacour, then Mr Potter, then Mr Krum."

Hermione allowed herself to be settled in front by the Head of her House. She was feeling really nervous, knowing she was going to open the dance floor with her girlfriend and out herself to the Hogwarts populace. The dancing, she had practised hard so she hoped she didn't make a fool of herself and Fleur or step on her poor girlfriend's foot. The outing part, well she didn't practice that so she wasn't sure what would happen. "It's going to be ok," whispered Fleur in her ear, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. Hermione smiled in gratitude, the blonde's confident smile putting her a bit at ease.

As per McGonagal's cue, the door opened and Hermione straightened her back and allowed herself to be confidently led through the hall. She could hear murmurs from the crowd but focused herself with what was in front of her and her arm in Fleur's.

The hall was decorated from ceiling to floor, with Christmas decorations. There were multiple Christmas trees spread through the room, covered with tinsel, candy canes and baubles depicting the Hogwarts Houses. There were even some for Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. There were moving statues of a Lion, an Eagle, a Badger and a Serpent on each corner of the room and flanking the Great Hall's door were two more, depicting a Unicorn for Beauxbatons and a Phoenix for Durmstrang. The enchanting ceiling was covered with snow clouds, with flurries falling down and disappearing into nothing once they touched anything.

They took their seats, side by side, at the table set up for Champions and their partners, next to the Headmasters and teachers table. Hermione watched as Professor Dumbledore stood up, greeting everyone before looking at his plate and saying "Pork Chops." The aforementioned dish appeared on his plate.

Hermione smiled and looked at her own plate, wondering what she should ask for. She turned to look at Fleur who looked at her smiling before saying " 'Achis Parmentier." She looked on curiously, as what looked like cottage pie, one of her favourite foods, appeared on the blonde's plate. "Cottage pie?" She asked, wondering why the blonde was ordering something she liked.

"Uh-hmm," Fleur nodded, "but different. The French version. I'd like to share it with you and since it's your favourite dish, I wanted it to be done right so you can experience it properly. The elves are remarkable cooks," she said, smiling.

Hermione's eyes soften at the gesture. It amazed her just how attentive Fleur was to what she liked and disliked. She looked at her own plate and confidently said "Bouillabaisse."

Fleur eye the bowl of French soup and fresh baguette that appeared in the Gryffindor's plate questioningly. Hermione just smiled, "I know you have been missing Bouillabaisse for a while now and we did meet over this dish though it didn't go well, I was thinking we could try again," she said shyly. It had been her fault that things didn't go smoothly between them at the start.

Fleur smiled widely and leaned over to press a kiss on the brunette's cheek, "I would love to. Merci, 'Ermione."

Hermione just blushed at the public display of affection.

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The conversation was flowing brilliantly between them, Harry and Parvati, even with the girl, Elizabeth, who came with Krum. The man in question though, was keeping quiet and Hermione was quite grateful for it but she could still notice his glowering eyes. She had even chatted with Madame Maxime as Fleur introduced her and the Headmistress had been an amazing conversationalist, sitting beside Hagrid and both had partaken into telling embarrassing stories about their pupils, much to Fleur, Hermione and Harry's embarrassment. It was a beautiful night though and Hermione had relaxed, enjoying herself in the company of her girlfriend and best friend.

She had shared her food with the Veela, indulging in Fleur's insistence at feeding her but only for a few times, before she pulled the Hachis Parmentier towards herself and pushed the Bouillabaisse towards the blonde, blushing in embarrassment. No amount of pouting from the French girl was going to make her change her mind. She could already hear the snickers from Harry.

After dinner, the plates and tables were cleared away to make space for a dance floor and Hermione felt her palms sweat as she got nervous. Fleur squeezed her hand and she tried to breathe in deeply.

"Introducing the Champion of Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour with her companion, Hogwarts Head Girl Hermione Granger," the voice of Dumbledore boomed as he announced them. Hermione allowed Fleur to lead her onto the dance floor.

"Followed by the Champion of Hogwarts, Harry Potter with his companion, Parvati Patil of House Gryffindor," Hermione looked on as a slightly green Harry led Parvati onto the dance floor.

"Followed by the Champion of Durmstrang, Victor Krum with his companion, Elizabeth Martin of House Slytherin."

Hermione didn't bother with Krum, looking at Fleur who was smiling reassuringly at her as she took her hand and slipped the other to her waist. Hermione positioned her hand on the blonde's shoulder and the music started.

Fleur was an amazing lead, expertly manoeuvring them through every step over the dance floor, to the point where Hermione just let go. She laughed when Fleur effortlessly lifted her in the air, twirling before setting her back down. It felt freeing.

"You look 'appy," said Fleur, leading them around. She watched as Hermione's chocolate eyes were shining with joy.

"I am," replied Hermione happily. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy.

Fleur lifted her into another twirl, laughing as her girlfriend squealed. Other people had joined onto the dance floor and Fleur laughed when the music suddenly changed from a waltz to the band, Weird Sisters.

"Come on!" Hermione said, letting herself go as they got lost in the throngs of people, pulling Fleur into a more frenzied dancing matching the band's energetic music.

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"Merlin, I need a break, " said Hermione as she panted, a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"Why don't you go sit down, love and I'll get us some drinks?" Fleur asked, looking at the flushed brunette with such adoration.

Hermione nodded, "I'll go see Harry over there," she pointed out at her friend who was with Ron, Neville and Ginny in the corner. She quickly made a beeline for them, "Hey guys," she greeted.

"Hermione, you look absolutely smashing!" Ginny complimented her best friend again, pulling her into a hug.

"Yeah and you and Fleur look great together," Neville smiled at the blushing brunette. Harry chimed in, in agreement.

"Thanks, guys, you are too kind."

"Fleur Delacour, Fleur Delacour was the person you were going to the ball with?!" Ron's voice interrupted.

"Yeah," replied Hermione, feeling defensive suddenly.

"She is the enemy, you are fraternising with Harry's competition!" He argued.

"No, I'm not!" Hermione replied.

"She is probably using you to get information from Harry! How can you betray your friend like that?" He spat.

"It's nothing like that! She has actually been helping Harry!" Hermione spat back.

"What she is saying is true, Ron-" said Harry trying to defuse the situation.

"How can you be so naive, Hermione. She looks like she is helping but she is probably biding her time to sabotage Harry and is using you for it!" He replied, looking at her like she was stupid.

Hermione huffed, already feeling her blood pressure rising, "enough Ron, I don't need your approval to do anything and will not allow you to badmouth my girlfriend anymore." Her tone was harsh and bordering on murderous.

"Girlfriend?!" Ron choked, "What has gotten into you?! She is a Veela and has you under her thrall. She is a sexual predator and will probably just fuck you and throw you aside!"

Hermione didn't even have time to do anything when she saw Ginny knee her brother's crotch hard.

"I told you to behave last time!" spat the redhead girl as she watched her pathetic excuse of a brother crumple down on the floor.

"I've had enough of you, Ron. You have crossed too many lines," said Hermione, fuming at the redhead boy on the floor before looking up to Harry, "Sorry Harry but I can't do this anymore. I can't be friends with him anymore. I'm not asking you to choose but I can't be around him anymore."

Harry could only nod sadly as he watched the brunette swivel around and exit the Hall.

ᴥ

"'Ermione?" Fleur called out. She had seen the brunette exit the Hall with a troubled look and had tried to follow her. She could feel a twinge of Hermione's emotions and it didn't feel good. She hoped to find her soon. She allowed her instincts to guide her and found herself in one of the Greenhouses, "'Ermione?"

"Fleur?" Hermione looked up from the bench she was sitting on and realised she had left her date, Fleur, all by herself at the ball.

"Hey…" Fleur approached the brunette and took a seat next to her.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you behind, Fleur! I had an altercation with Ron and just needed to get out of there," she said sadly, feeling like she had ruined the night.

"It's okay," replied Fleur, pulling the brunette into her arms and depositing a gentle kiss on her forehead, "just promise me that next time you won't leave me behind and you will come whisk me away with you instead."

Hermione smiled in the blonde's chest, "I promise," she whispered, "I'm sorry for ruining our night. I was having so much fun with you."

"Ah but the night is not ruined nor is it over 'Ermione."

The bookworm looked up at the smiling blonde feeling confused, "How so?" she asked.

Fleur let go of the brunette and stood up, "will you dance wiz me, 'Ermione?" she asked, offering her hand.

Hermione blushed and nodded, taking the blonde's hand. She was gently pulled off her bench. She suddenly noticed the chill in the air, sending a shiver through her body but it was quickly dissipated when Fleur pulled her tightly by the waist, into her arms. Hermione looked into her girlfriend's eyes and allowed her arms to wrap around the French's shoulders and neck.

A slow song started playing from somewhere and Fleur started swaying them to the tune. As always, Hermione was instantly captivated and mesmerised by Fleur's cerulean eyes. Her blue orbs were shining with intensity. She again wondered why she was so taken by them, despite having seen them up close so many times. Tonight, they twinkled freely with happiness and love. It was beautiful. It was amazing and scary to know that she was the cause of it, that she held so much power over the blonde's emotions, that she meant so much to the French woman...

The music slowed and so did their swaying but the two of them were too deeply focused on each other to mind.

Hermione allowed her hand around Fleur's shoulder to drift upwards slightly, gently tangling her fingers into the Veela's silvery hair. "Fleur…" she breathed out.

"Mon amour," Fleur whispered back breathlessly as a shiver ran down her spine due to her mate's ministrations with her hair and scalp. Her eyes fluttered shut involuntarily.

Hermione watched in awe as Fleur responded to her touch, she felt powerful and suddenly craved more. She pulled her other hand and placed it against the blonde's chest, feeling the thundering heartbeat underneath her palm.

Fleur grabbed her girlfriend's waist tighter and pulled her into her chest, capturing her lips in a bruising kiss.

"Gods Fleur," Hermione groaned against the blonde's mouth, pushing her tongue against Fleur's. Her body felt hot.

Fleur played with Hermione's tongue, licking, sucking and flicking, not getting enough of her mate's taste… she wanted more. She pulled away and started kissing and nipping along Hermione's jawline until she reached her neck and sucked earnestly, wanting to mark the pale creamy skin.

Hermione groaned, pushing Fleur's head harder against her neck. Her hands ran down the blonde's body, exploring the shape of it and grabbed her shirt and pulled up, untucking them from the Veela's pants and using the opening to slip her hands in.

Fleur growled when she felt Hermione's palms spread against her abs, carefully exploring every crevice with her fingers. "'Ermione," she husked against the brunette's throat as she pushed her backwards gently until Hermione's legs hit the bench. Fleur followed Hermione as she laid the bookworm down on the bench, settling carefully on top of her.

"Merlin, Fleur!" Hermione had never felt so hot before, she was boiling and when Fleur's weight settled on her, she was set on fire. She trailed her fingers around the blonde's waist onto her strong back, exploring every inch of the soft silky skin she could reach. She could feel Fleur's strong muscles.

"Mon Dieu 'Ermione, you are so exquisite" Fleur groaned into her mate's curly hair.

Noise outside made them still and they realised that the ball must have ended and the students were going back to their rooms. They awkwardly sat up, Hermione flushing as she shyly rebuttoned Fleur's shirt where the buttons had slipped open with all her pulling.

"I'm sorry if I was too forward," said Fleur shyly as she tucked her shirt back into her pants.

"There is nothing to apologise for, Fleur. I was being forward too," she said, blushing furiously as she remembered the hotness of the blonde's skin under her palm.

"Let me escort you to your room?" Fleur asked.

Hermione looked at the blonde and nodded. After checking that they both looked presentable and the Head Girl flushing as she covered the marks on her neck, the two girls made their way back into the castle.

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They walked quietly, hand in hand, Hermione leading them to the portrait to her room in the hallway, not wanting to go through the Common Room. "We are here," she said as they reached in front of a large portrait of a lioness atop a boulder. Fleur could see the representation of her mate in the portrait, a true Gryffindor with the heart and courage of a lioness.

"I had an amazing night wiz you, 'Ermione. Goodnight ma belle, " Fleur whispered, placing a lingering kiss on Hermione's lips.

"I had an amazing night as well, Fleur. Goodnight…" Hermione replied.

Fleur smiled and nodded, turning to walk away when she found herself being pulled into Hermione's room, the brunette burying her face into her chest.

"Don't go…" Hermione whispered, her face burning at her action, "we don't have to do anything. I… I just don't want you to go."

Fleur wrapped her arms around her mate, whispering directly into her ear, "I'll stay if you want me to."

Hermione reluctantly pulled away from the blonde and smiled shyly, "I'll get you something to change into," she said as she walked to her cupboard. She handed some pyjamas to the blonde and pointed her towards the bathroom.

"Oh," Hermione interrupted before Fleur could open the bathroom, "I nearly forgot," she rummaged through her desk drawers and pulled out a wrapped box, "Merry Christmas, Fleur."

Fleur smiled and excitedly took the box from the brunette. She had gotten a lot of presents from her family, waiting for her at the foot of her bed when she woke up this morning but Hermione's promise of a gift after she had given the brunette the pendant was what she had been waiting for the most. Carefully peeling the wrapping paper off, she opened the box, revealing a blue and silver scarf, in a similar style of the Gryffindor scarf she had seen Hermione wear. What was different though, was the F.D knitted it into it at the ends. She ran her finger over the silvery letters.

"I knitted it…" said Hermione, cheeks red in embarrassment, "It was my first time and I'm not sure I did a good job but I've added a heating charm to it…"

"Merci 'Ermione," replied Fleur pulling the brunette into her arms and depositing a gentle kiss on her lips, "I love it," she added with a smile.

Hermione looked into the blonde's eyes and could see the sincerity in it. She smiled back and gave the blonde a kiss in return.

Once they both had their turn to freshen up and get changed, they both slipped under the heavy crimson blanket, Hermione immediately gravitating towards Fleur, who wasted no time in wrapping her arms around the Gryffindor and pulling her closer into her body, a soft glow thrown over them from the lit fireplace.

Hermione sighed in contentment as she snuggled deeper into Fleur's arms, "Thank you for staying, Fleur."

"Anything for you, ma belle," Fleur whispered, totally content with having Hermione resting on her chest, head tucked under her chin.

"Thank you for everything today, you are amazing, Fleur," Hermione said, pressing a hot kiss against Fleur's throat, feeling her body be set aflame as the blonde groaned under her. She copied the blonde's actions in the greenhouse and started sucking on the pale skin, watching in awe as it turned red.

"'Ermione?" Fleur groaned as a question.

Shyly looking up, Hermione watched as the blue eyes liquified in arousal and squeezed her legs together to contain the throbbing down there. "I… I don't think I'm ready to go all the way Fleur, but maybe… if you are comfortable... we... we can kiss a bit more? And touch?" Hermione stammered, flushing brightly at her words.

Fleur looked at the brunette in surprise before smiling to reassure her, "I would love to kiss and touch you more, my 'Ermione. What about ze upper body only?" she asked.

Hermione nodded hesitantly, she could get comfortable with that.

"I'll just lay down and allow you to continue," whispered Fleur, seeing how nervous the brunette was. She pecked Hermione's lips to reassure her and settled back against her pillow.

Hermione blushed and hesitantly took her spot back at Fleur's neck, enjoying how the blonde shivered under her when her warm breath caressed the neck column. Her previous ministrations had already marked a bright red spot on the blonde's pale skin. She picked an unblemished spot and started at it, nibbling and sucking before lapping at the bruised skin to soothe. It was amazing how much she was enjoying this.

Fleur hissed, groaned and moaned under Hermione's treatment and slipped her hands under the brunette's chemise to lightly scratch at her back, loving the little mewl that escaped her mate's lips.

Hermione twirled her finger shyly around Fleur's shirt button for a minute before she got the courage to pop it open. Hearing no objection from the blonde, she continued to the next button, keeping her face buried in the French girl's neck. It was only when she ran out of buttons that she ran her hand over Fleur's chest only for her to sit up when she encountered just skin… _just skin... Merlin, she's not wearing a bra!_ Hermione gasped at the exposed breasts right in front of her face.

Fleur laughed at Hermione's face, "it's ok, 'Ermione."

Hermione blushed and replied, "you are beautiful, Fleur" and pressed a kiss on the blonde's sternum. She had never thought she would like breasts so much.

"May I?" asked Fleur, reaching for the hem of Hermione's chemise.

Hermione smiled bashfully and nodded, allowing Fleur to pull garment over her head, leaving her in her black bra. Seeing the question in the blonde's face, she nodded again and shivered when Fleur flicked her bra open, tossing it away, leaving her exposed. She resisted the instinct of wrapping her arms around herself to hide.

"You are magnificent, mon amour, " whispered Fleur, admiring her love with smouldering eyes.

Hermione was sure her whole body had a flush with the way Fleur was looking at her. It made her feel giddy to see Fleur's desire for her so clearly reflected in her eyes and she was sure her own eyes mirrored the same. After all, Fleur was absolutely gorgeous. She settled herself back against the blonde and sighed at the feeling of skin on skin, it felt so good... She wondered what it would feel like when they would be completely skin on skin and felt a hard throb in between her legs just at the thought of it.

Fleur sighed and captured Hermione's lips for a deep kiss. It was amazing and perfect, being skin to skin with her mate. She felt a sense of security and fulfilment she had never felt before.

They stayed like this, kissing and exploring until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment and share your thoughts! I'd appreciate it a lot, it helps keep me writing :) ~ Sky


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